Artist teaches age-old lesson through 'Arok Dedes' exhibit
Artist teaches age-old lesson through 'Arok Dedes' exhibit
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
"I am honored that my novel has inspired the creation of so
many paintings," said acclaimed author and fine arts enthusiast
Pramoedya Ananta Toer at the April 7 opening of a painting
exhibition held at Galeri Lontar in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta.
As many as 20 paintings by painter Muhammad Yusuf are on
display at the gallery through April 30, depicting the visual
interpretation of Arok Dedes, an historical fiction by Pramoedya.
Gallery director Bambang Budjono lauded Yusuf for making
visual interpretation of a literary work, as it would enrich the
Indonesian art heritage.
"Yusuf continues the traditions of our veteran artists," he
added.
Yusuf, more commonly known as Mat Ucup, is no new kid on the
Indonesian art block.
Along with fellow artists of the Taring Padi art and culture
network in Yogyakarta, Mat Ucup has frequently shown his work at
exhibitions in cities across Indonesia and in foreign countries.
Last November, he organized a painting exhibition in Utrecht
and The Hague, the Netherlands, entitled "Hentikan Perang Sipil"
(Stop civil war) and "Cegah Kerjasama Militer" (Ban military
cooperation) received a genial welcome.
Previously, Mat Ucup has also taken part in exhibitions at the
Ismail Marzuki Fine Arts Center, Erasmus Huis and the National
Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta.
Mat Ucup said most of his works were inspired by Mexican mural
painter Diego Rivera -- but obviously, it is not pure Rivera.
"I have experimented with color, and I have my own character,"
he told The Jakarta Post.
The 20 paintings -- completed over a 20-month period --
feature the journey of Arok as told by Pramoedya, from his
beginnings as an ordinary man, through conspiracy and armed
revolt, and to his attainment of political power.
This interpretation of Arok Dedes, Mat Ucup said, was driven
by a desire to visualize an episode of the nation's history. He
said the nation had forgotten its history so completely that it
often repeated the same mistakes of past generations.
He underlined that forgetting history and the value of its
lessons would disrupt the nation's path to maturity.
It was amid such frustrating thoughts that he came across
Pramoedya's Arok Dedes, which triggered the creative outburst
that resulted in the present exhibition.
Born in Lumajang, East Java, on August 6, 1975, Mat Ucup was
trained at Yogyakarta's Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) over 10
years. Most of his artwork have a common thematic threat that
reflects the artist's passion for defending marginalized people.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer's "Arok Dedes": A Visual Interpretation
runs from April 7 through April 30 at Galeri Lontar, Jl. Utankayu
68H, East Jakarta.