A pedicab and modern Mona Lisa turn up at ceramic display

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.