Artist Yuswantoro kisses money motif goodbye
Artist Yuswantoro kisses money motif goodbye
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Yuswantoro Adi's critics and admirers will
have to stop singing the ABBA hit that goes "Money, money,
money ... always money" in mockery or in praise of his art
featuring banknotes to represent greed and materialism.
Yus just bid farewell to money. He says he does not want to be
nicknamed the "money copier" artist.
"I have to quit the style before the banknote becomes my
trademark," he said when attending a recent art workshop for
journalists in Yogyakarta.
What a daring decision. Banknotes and children together have,
indeed, become his main theme. The theme catapulted him to
stardom in 1998 when he won the ASEAN Arts Awards. Drawing
children and banknotes on canvas has earned him fame, wealth and
awards.
The artist who favors T-shirts, unfashionable Bermuda shorts
and thongs is dead serious about dumping his money style. He saw
journalists at the Indonesian-French Cultural Center carrying in
two of his works, Tolong Jangan Bikin Bingung Monyet (Please
Don't Confuse the Monkey, 2000) and Seratus Rupiah Saja (One
Hundred Rupiah Only, Please, 1998).
The Monkey has no money element in it but the Rupiah has all
the typical elements of his art style: child and banknote.
Tolong Jangan Bikin Bingung Monyet, features children and a
dancing monkey at the center. A child holding a newspaper with a
headline condemning the ruling elite looks up at the monkey,
while a boy at the top left blows soap bubbles all over the
place.
Like most of his works, the Monkey is a lampoon of the current
situation in which propaganda spread by the powerful elite is
order of the day. Euphoria that springs from the newfound freedom
in which anybody is allowed to say anything, to the confusion of
the common people.
Seratus Rupiah Saja features a sweet young girl playing with
Coca Cola bottle tops thread on a string singing in the street
for money -- a common sight in major cities ever since the
economic crisis struck in 1997. A large proportion of the busy
street is blocked off from view by a conspicuous Rp 100 banknote
in the foreground.
Unlike posters, the message in Yus' paintings are conveyed
subtly. Objects are presented in a realist way and thus beauty,
proportion and color composition are still an important element.
The combination of children and banknotes (local or foreign)
creates comical images of society today: the evils of
materialism, a world that doesn't seem to turn without money, the
merry world of innocent children.
Yus, who dropped out of Yogyakarta's Indonesian Arts Institute
in 1991, is determined to prove to the world that his strength
lies not only in the banknote but also in other ordinary
elements.
He claimed: "I will not draw money anymore even though orders
for paintings with the banknote theme are still coming in ... I'm
fed up. Being stereotyped (as a money painter) is killing me."
The 34-year-old Semarang-born artist, however, will continue
with his child icons. The artist considers children his best
friends and an unending source of inspiration due to their pure
minds, innocence and freedom.
He uses children in his every expression: joy, anger, sorrow
and even political frustration. His artwork shows there is
nothing absurd in using the images of children to convey
political messages.
"To get an idea across, the children do not have to be
beautiful. What counts is their expression," he said. He draws
the children from photographs, making changes when necessary.
As a realist, Yus is a master of detail. He spent many years
learning the art of drawing detail, such as the intricate bank
notes. (pan)