Tobelo artists persevere to create<\/p>\n
Grace Siregarb, Contributor, Tobelo, N. Maluku<\/p>\n
Tobelo, the capital of North Halmahera regency in North Maluku
\nprovince, offers some breathtaking views, which can best be seen
\nfrom the dozens of small islands that lie just off its coast.<\/p>\n
One such island is Kumo, popular among locals for weekend
\npicnics on the beach. Other islands reached easily from Tobelo
\ninclude Pawole, Tupu-tupu, Tagalaya and Kakara, each with their
\nown diverse marine and reef life to explore.<\/p>\n
Tobelo is not only blessed with natural beauty, but also
\npossesses a wealth of traditional culture that is integral to
\ndaily life to this day.<\/p>\n
Kakara island, 15 minutes by longboat from Tobelo, boasts
\nstrong, cross-generational music and dance traditions such as
\nLelehe, Cakalele, Tide, Gala, Bangheli and Tokuwela -- the last a
\ncall-and-response rhyming form accompanied by elderly female
\ndrummers. Also very popular now is the Hawaiian-sounding Yangere
\nmusic, which was created by young Tobelo people in the mid-1980s
\nand features tea-chest bass and an abundance of ukuleles.<\/p>\n
Apart from its astounding potential in terms of its natural
\nenvironment and local culture, Tobelo has become a haven of
\ndevelopment in contemporary art since the end of the North Maluku
\nconflict in 2000.<\/p>\n
Walking around town, murals conveying social messages appear
\non every spare length of wall in a refreshingly frank and
\npowerful minimalist style.<\/p>\n
Raffles Pulingkareng, 70, is a glass painter and sculptor who
\nfled to Tobelo when the interreligious conflict hit Aru village
\nin the north of Morotai island. Now living in temporary refugee
\nhousing in Tobelo, Raffles sought a way to continue creating art.<\/p>\n
This critically minded artist, despite his advanced years, has
\nnever ceased his pursuit of intellectual development, and can
\noften be found hunting for discarded pieces of glass in Tobelo
\nharbor.<\/p>\n
Biblical tales and traditional culture are an endless source
\nof inspiration for Raffles. In a glass painting entitled
\nCakalele, this self-taught artist illustrates the Cakalele dance
\nas the lifeblood of the North Maluku people.<\/p>\n
\"My wish is that the regental government organizes a cultural
\nfestival in North Halmahera, where our art work can be exhibited
\nto the public. In this way, Tobelo can become the cultural center
\nof North Maluku, like Yogyakarta in Java,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Raffles is driven in his enthusiasm to show his work to the
\npublic, and he recently held a solo exhibition in Hibualamo
\nsquare in downtown Tobelo.<\/p>\n
Following in a completely different vein is Hans Ririmase, who
\nhas been exploring the cartoon genre for some time now. This
\nwiry, autodidact artist from Padamara Polytechnic said he was
\nlucky that his work was much appreciated by the local population.<\/p>\n
His cartoons have often appeared in local papers such as the
\nHalmahera Post, Hibualamo and the Halmahera Press.<\/p>\n
During the North Maluku conflict, almost all of Hans' work was
\ndestroyed by fire. However, this disaster did not deter him from
\nhis passion to create.<\/p>\n
\"In my work, I often raise current social issues, like
\nrefugees, violence and the peace that has blessed us,\" said Hans,
\nwho felt that contemporary art was developing fast in Tobelo, but
\nreceived very little attention and support.<\/p>\n
\"But this situation also has its advantages, as many of my
\nartist friends can create paintings in the center of town on
\nblank walls. Without realizing it, when people come out of their
\nhomes, they are forced to view our work,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendrix Sitania from Gura, who creates brightly colored
\npaintings, said that contemporary art in North Halmahera had yet
\nto be accepted by the public at large.<\/p>\n
Although Hendrix, who began teaching himself how to paint in
\njunior high school, felt that many people enjoyed his paintings,
\nhe was concerned about the future of contemporary art in Tobelo.
\nHe said that one of the difficulties faced by local artists was
\nthe lack of exhibition space in Tobelo, and in North Maluku in
\ngeneral.<\/p>\n
In order to support his family, Hendrix works as a landscape
\ndesigner, with clients ranging from offices to churches and to
\nprivate individuals.<\/p>\n
\"I had to work out how to support my family. One way is to
\ndesign gardens, as I have yet to sell a single painting. They are
\nmostly borrowed for free for church or office events. Landscape
\ndesign is a way for me to express myself artistically,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendrix said he couldn't live without art, and that Tobelo
\nalways provided new opportunities for him to create.<\/p>\n
\"I live through my art, even though it is a struggle to
\nreceive acknowledgement as an artist here.\"<\/p>\n
Fadriah Syuaib, a Ternate artist, said that the greatest
\ndifficulty she faced was the reaction of friends and family, who
\nshowed no appreciation for her abstract paintings -- particularly
\nas Fadriah is a woman artist in the heavily patriarchal North
\nMaluku culture. Nevertheless, she is determined to make art her
\nlife's focus.<\/p>\n
Fadriah is an admirer of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who she
\nsaid kept her inspired to continue her own artistic journey.<\/p>\n
She also expresses her creativity through theater, and has
\nalready written a number of radio dramas about education for the
\ninternational non-governmental organization Cardi, which were
\nbroadcast province-wide on RRI Ternate radio station last year.<\/p>\n
\"For me, art has no borders. Any media can be used for
\nartistic expression,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Fadriah also admires her artist colleagues from Tobelo who,
\neven with the absence of gallery space or financial backing,
\nfound ways and means to exhibit solo or as a group in public
\nspaces.<\/p>\n
\"Tobelo will become the Yogyakarta of North Maluku. Apart from
\nbeing an open-minded town, it is also fertile ground for artists
\nand their work.\"<\/p>\n
Raffles Pulingkareng, Hans Ririmase, Hendrix Sitania and
\nFadriah Syuaib all feel that their work have not been recognized
\nnor been taken seriously, as they have yet to receive wider
\nexposure.<\/p>\n
\"Our work stands up in comparison to work produced in Java and
\nBali, but they have not been given attention by art lovers,
\ngalleries and the national media,\" said Raffles.<\/p>\n
The dream of achieving wider recognition like some of their
\npeers in Java and Bali is a common aspiration that unites these
\nNorth Maluku champions of the arts.<\/p>\n
As they hold on to their dream to exhibit in galleries in
\nJakarta, Medan, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Bali, these artists
\nbalance their time dedicated to creating with their efforts to
\nsurvive, working respectively as a construction worker, a
\nlecturer, a landscape designer and a fruit seller to support
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
Considering the level of maturity and honesty of their work,
\nit is high time they were given an opportunity to show their work
\nat a national level.<\/p>\n
The writer is a Batak installation artist currently based in
\nTobelo.<\/p>",
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