Artists show conscience of democracy in works

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java

The word "democracy" is all too familiar to virtually all layers of the community. It is present in textbooks at all levels of education and also in the mass media, but it is yet to be construed and practiced as it should be.

This nation has had a bitter taste of how a semblance of democracy has been practiced. When Soeharto was still in power, he implemented quasi democracy as he kept the legislature and judiciary under his tight control.

It comes as no surprise that 73 exhibited paintings in Surakarta, the work of 34 artists including Djoko Pekik, Diyanto, Acep Zamzam Noor, Agus Suwage and Edo Pillu, had as its theme Conscience of Democracy. The artists represent various generations, styles and cities of origin, such as Yogyakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Jakarta and Surakarta in Central Java.

The work by Isa Perkasa of Bandung, Declaration of Indonesia in Separation, for example, describes the desire of some regions to separate from the Republic of Indonesia. The artist shows a man, sitting in front of a table on which lies the map of Indonesia, erasing the islands on the map. Opposite this man, a human being with a loudspeaker as his head is shouting out loud, demanding independence for a number of regions like Aceh, East Timor, Ambon, Papua and Sunda.

Another artist, Budi Ubrux, presents a unique work with a wiser theme. With his Confused Generation, Ubrux encourages the public to contemplate what is going on in society. He has no pretension to force his ideas upon others as every human being basically reserves the right to think and express opinions freely.

In this work, eight anonymous figures, half squatting, are embracing one another. One of them is raising his fist while the others are looking straight ahead just like people posing for a picture. These anonymous figures seem to have a lot to tell. Their bodies are wrapped in newspapers that convey various messages: political chaos and intrigue, advertisements pandering to consumerism and the sorrow of farmers with a poor harvest as water is hard to come by.

Djoko Pekik explores parody in his Being Crazy, trying to remind the public of the procession in the great wedding of the daughter of Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X two months ago. In this procession, old women as court servants opened the way for the great procession around the palace compound.

The question is whether this event was humane as the old women walked and made funny gestures while the great bride and bridegroom sat comfortable in a carriage. For court servants, this role would be the pride of their lives. But for Djoko Pekik? Only he and God know!

This exhibition, which runs until Aug. 1, is dedicated for Surakarta Cultural Park, a place invariably allowing artists to undergo a creative process or present their works. When the New Order regime repressed art, this park was the only venue for free expression in the country. Marsinah, a play by Ratna Sarumpaet or a performance by Emha Ainun Najib could take place here in the 1990s, although they were banned from other venues.

Is this exhibition only seeking profit because many of the works on display are made by artists with a good reputation in the market?

"I hope this exhibition will produce good publicity for the cultural park. However, we are not commercializing this event. That's why we have offered democracy as the theme. We believe we can select the market ...," said Murtidjono, head of the cultural park and initiator of the exhibition.

For artists in Indonesia, Murtidjono is a figure with great courage. Once, for example, he put his position and himself at risk, purely to ensure that an arts event would take place. He went to the security authorities and the government bureaucracy to explain the situation and give his personal guarantee.

When all cultural parks in Indonesia obtained some Rp 480 million per year as a routine donation from the state, Surakarta Cultural Park was the only institution that gave artists their due: funds for rehearsals and performances. That's why this park can host from four to dozens of arts events at the same time.

However, following the implementation of regional autonomy, Surakarta Cultural Park, like other cultural parks in other regions, no longer receives a donation from the central government. Instead, as the park is now under the authority of the regional administration it receives only Rp 36 million a year from the Central Java provincial budget.

What has made Murtidjono restless is the fact that in the past two years art events have been practically at a standstill. The cost of a performance, to cover electricity and stage purposes, for example, is too high for most artists. For instance, they have to fork out Rp 600,000 per night for a show or exhibition.