A pedicab and modern Mona Lisa turn up at ceramic display
Text and photos by Stevie Emilia
JAKARTA (JP): Seeds of inspiration can come from anywhere, and notoriously poor public transportation services get ceramicist Sri Hartono's creative juices flowing.
In his fingers, wet clay becomes a rickety bus packed with passengers, three-wheeled bemo vehicles and becak, the pedicab banished from Jakarta's main streets five years ago.
His 18 works are part of Terra Indonesia '97, which brings him together with eight of his colleagues. The contemporary ceramic exhibition is held at the Ministry of Education and Culture's Art Center on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur until Dec. 20. Nearly all the works on sale.
Sri's Planet Warteg has a mother and her two children on the way home from the market by becak. They sit comfortably despite their mound of shopping bags.
"My work reflects my concern over poor public transportation services, which always pack passengers beyond their capacity, in some developing countries," the 60-year-old told The Jakarta Post.
But passengers somehow manage to find a seat. In Angkutan di NTT (Transportation in East Nusa Tenggara), people resort to sitting on the roof of a crowded bus.
Sri uses either rich colors or the natural tone of the clay.
For a more colorful result, Sri says he puts the clay, which has already been sculpted and is bone dry, into a kiln for four to five hours at a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius.
Then comes the bisque stage. The half-finished work is left inside the kiln for another four hours or more to cool before the artist can paint the glaze. It is then returned to the kiln for the second firing, a process lasting 12 hours at the temperature of 1,200 degrees Celsius.
The work must be left to cool inside the kiln before it can be retrieved and earn the title of a completed ceramic.
Liem Keng Sien displays works criticizing the impersonality of life in Jakarta and people's individualistic behavior.
A rocky mountain with several simple houses on its peak is titled "Tertinggal dan Jelek Sekali," kata yang Tidak Mengerti ("Left Behind and an Eye Sore," said Those Who Did Not Understand).
Keng Sien fluidly shares his thoughts with viewers through uncomplicated works and titles, indicated in another rocky mountain adorned with buildings.
Da Vinci
This one is called Kita Harus Menjadi Seperti Jakarta (We Must Become Like Jakarta), the meaning clear by a high wall separating occupants of several huts from neighbors in mansions.
One piece in the exhibition, borrowing from Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, would no doubt amaze the Italian artist if he were alive.
Mona Lisa has undergone a face-life. She is no longer seated demurely with her famous mysterious gaze, but is unabashedly Monalisa Undressed by artist Suyatna.
His 13 other ceramic paintings, part of his 42 works on display, also feature women.
"I use women as the language in my works because of their gestures, not only their sensuality," said Suyatna. He claims to try to present them "in different atmospheres" from their stereotyped roles.
Other works by the artist, who studied ceramic art in Yakishime, Japan, include bejana, an elegant water container, and objects which he said were more difficult to make than ceramic paintings.
Hildawati Soemantri is displaying 12 of her latest works, including three startling three- dimensional art objects.
Eight of Hendrawan Riyanto's works, such as Javanese Couple, show the artist's ties with his Javanese background.
The man is positioned much higher than the woman, a nod to the common perception of gender roles in the society.
Dancer
For Lydia Poetri, this exhibition poses a dilemma as she is loathe to part with her Abhirama, the image of a dancer.
"It has been a long time since I wanted to create a statue ... I could only manage it for this exhibition so I hope no one buys it," said Lydia, who founded the Studio Keramik de Potterie with Hildawati.
Artist Harsono Samin has 37 exhibits which reveal his mastery of transforming clay and glass.
A piece of a horse trying to break through a ceramic structure, Menerobos Tradisi, affirms the difficulty in going against entrenched traditions.
F. Widayanto, who recently entertained the public with his amusing works in a solo exhibition at Bentara Budaya, continues with similar teasing figures, such as a woman and her baby in Timang Guyonan (A Cradle of Jokes).
At 35, Asmujo Jono Irianto is the youngest of the artists in the show. He participated in last year's national craft exhibition at the Bandung Institute of Technology, and in Australia. Ceramic Art Department Store is one of his two works on display, which are not for sale. Prices for the works range from Rp 1 million to Rp 50 million.