Arahmaiani promotes peace through art

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The ongoing war between Iraq and the Allied Forces must be creating a great amount of tension for people all over the world. One of those deeply concerned about the war is Indonesia's multi- talented artist, Arahmaiani.

Every day, Arahmaiani, born in Bandung and now living in Yogyakarta, keeps herself abreast of the war's development. Her interest in the war is due to her great care for human rights and human dignity. Her feelings about these matters find expression in her art work.

She will take part in an exhibition and artistic performance to be held in Germany next month.

"An anti-war art exhibition will be held in Germany. When I was invited to join, I accepted the invitation right away as I have always explored anti-violence themes in my work, especially regarding violence committed by the state," she said.

Yet, she is to decide what performance art and works that she will take with her to Germany. She said, though, that the concept would not be far different from her previous exhibitions. For example, she will make something like the Arabic calligraphy taken from one of the verses in the Koran and then she will also make use of the logo of Coca-Cola as she portrays it as the symbol of all U.S. supremacy. She will also perform a theatrical version of a Muslim ritual.

"I want to show with my art that Muslims must not always be associated with the radical Islamic movements in the Middle East or with radical Islamic movements elsewhere. Indonesian Muslims are different from Muslim hardliners in the Middle East. I will appeal through my work that no suspicion should be harbored against Muslims and that Muslims should not be arbitrarily attacked," said Arahmaiani.

She added she was briefly detained by the U.S. immigration office after the Sept. 11 tragedy in 2002 "simply because she is an Indonesian Muslim".

Her anti-violence ideas, she said, would also be introduced in an exhibition to be held at the Venice Biennale in June 2003. The theme of Paradise Lost, she added, was closely related to this idea. Four Indonesian artists, Dadang Cristanto, Tisna Sanjaya, Made Wianta and Arahmaiani have been invited to take part in this exhibition. Their presence in this upcoming exhibition will mark the first Indonesian participation after an absence of 50 years.

It was the late Affandi that was invited to this highly prestigious exhibition about half a century ago. "The work I'll take to this exhibition is a film entitled Mistake of the Last Dance.

Inspired by her own idealism, Arahmaiani has regularly created art closely related to the hot social and political issues of the day. Even while she was still in her birthplace of Bandung, she actively created such art.

Her works, ranging from Accident I (performance, 1980) to Are You Happy Meneer Yan? (multimedia, 2003) and The Past Has Not Passed (multimedia, 2002), made in late 2002 in Holland, are a testimony to her great concern for social and political affairs.

She has performed and exhibited numerous pieces at home and abroad. Most of her work reflects her concern for sociopolitical problems.

Apart from preparing herself for upcoming international events, Arahmaiani, who is also active in dance, music and literature, is busy in Yogyakarta with various art activities.

Last week, she became the coordinator of an art festival at Langgeng Gallery in Magelang, Central Java. She also took part in a rally against sexual harassment following the molestation of an employee of a noted newspaper publishing company in Yogyakarta by its general affairs director.

"Actually, I have come to the defense of women for a long time. Some of my works reflect the themes that defend women. In my opinion, in the previous New Order era, women were colonized by the state even to the innermost part of their bodies," said Arahmaiani, who was born in May 1961.

In her opinion, the government's planned parenthood program is a major crime against women, as a great many contraceptives have been implanted into the bodies of women.

"Isn't this a new type of colonization of a woman?" she exclaimed. "That's why in my performance art in Bangkok in 1997, I exposed the crime committed during the rule of President Soeharto in my work called Don't Prevent the Fertility of the Mind.

"Then in 1998, following the May riots, crimes were committed against the Indonesian-Chinese, and I was very sad to see and hear how women of Chinese origin were raped in Jakarta."

She expressed her feelings through a performance in Jakarta under the title of Show Me Your Heart. Many people in the audience shed tears upon seeing the performance.

As a well-traveled artist, Arahmaiani is a name to reckon with in the international fine arts community. Many governments have offered her residence visas to stay in their countries and concentrate on her art. A Dutch art institution has recently offered to help her to stay in the Netherlands and produce her work in relative freedom. She has refused the offers as she feels more comfortable living in Indonesia, particularly Yogyakarta.

"I don't know why I have eventually chosen to live in Yogyakarta. Previously, I kept moving from one city to another. I don't like to stay abroad as I fear I will be like a stranger when I return here again. I prefer to stay in Yogyakarta although some friends have advised me to act with great caution because Yogyakarta is a center of intrigue and gossip."

But she feels that living in Yogyakarta is less stressful than in Jakarta.

"I can now enjoy a Jathilan, a performance in which the players dance themselves into a trace while pretending to ride a bamboo horse. I have also been mixing with the villagers around Mount Merapi. Perhaps I can also play a Jathilan dancer, one who is wild but kind-hearted."