Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

Kebaya, the traditional blouse found in virtually every country
in Southeast Asia, has evolved with the changing tides of
history. Marked by the culture of the country in which it is
worn, it varies from a relatively loose blouse to a high-corseted
jacket in lace or other luxury material.

In Indonesia, the kebaya is probably found in as many
varieties as there are ethnic groups, but what is predominantly
understood as the "kebaya" derives from the kebaya as it is known
in the Javanese tradition of the elite. It is fairly tight and
worn with a special woman's brassiere -- the long torso -- to
cover up eventual unsightly bulges of the flesh.

While kebaya may be viewed as femininity personified in
terms of women's clothing, and designers have indeed raised it to
the level of high fashion, artists have often linked it with the
Javanese tradition of make-believe.

Astari Rasjid, a noted artist who has extensively explored the
culture in which she was born and raised, has visualized the
fallacy of make-believe in a number of sculptures, with the
kebaya looking as if made of supple, silky material, but in fact
made of stainless steel to reflect the discomfort underneath the
facade of beauty as well as the harsh impositions in real life.

Quite different is the impression presented by Victoria
Cattoni's installation and video presentations on the kebaya.

In Reading the kebaya, as the exhibition at Galeri Lontar is
titled, it is the videos documenting the reactions on the kebaya
that matters. That such reactions are evoked "by design" is
another matter.

What is seen in the gallery is two clothing racks hung with
about 40 kebayas and three TV sets simultaneously running videos
showing Indonesian and expatriate women, and men trying on
kebaya's in various styles and materials while commenting on
their appearances.

"It makes me feel sexy," or "I must now walk like a princess",
or "it's a bit too tight, but lovely", are a few of the reactions
of the participants. Sometimes giggling, sometimes shy; most of
the time they look happy, with the expressions of wonder, usually
seen on the face of someone pleasantly surprised. Men too liked
the garment, although one Indonesian man revealed to me he could
not possibly wear one in real life since it was meant to be for
women.

So, while reactions of the participants included comments on
the restrictions posed by the kebaya on one's movements, and some
said it made them look sexy, there were also those whose memories
of long past times were revived at the feel of the lace kebaya.

"Oh my grandmother used to have one of this style," said one.
Others who had never worn one before would enter into a kind of
flirtation with the garment and come to like it anyway.

Gathered in a mix of backgrounds and religious beliefs,
arguments over whether the style was too showy or too tight would
eventually evaporate along with other preconceptions.

According to Cattoni, who has lived and worked in Indonesia
since 1998, and currently divides her time between Denpasar and
Darwin, the experience of dressing in a kebaya in the presence of
other people, works as an act of self exploration, a
transformation of stature, and generates memories.

She said that the strong sentiments and reaction of audiences
to the work, confirmed for her, that the kebaya could act as a
vehicle for comprehension of the changing roles and status of
women in Indonesia; and an indication of how women see themselves
today.

Cattoni's workshops in Bali and Darwin were reportedly met
with great interest and enthusiasm. After Jakarta, she will
conduct workshops in Bandung, Yogyakarta and Semarang.

Cattoni's works in the installation at Galeri Lontar are
titled Tamasya kebaya, Kebaya Pressed Body, Kebaya Mix, Whose
Kebaya Anyway.

The videos are the result of workshops run by Cattoni in an
ongoing project that started in interactive workshops and video
screening in Bali three years ago and has since then expanded to
other places. It is part of a research project that Victoria
Cattoni is undertaking as part of a Masters degree for the Art
and Design Department of the Northern Territory University in
Darwin, Australia.

While the objective is to explore constructions of cultural
identity within a number of different contexts - particularly in
relation to constructions of feminine identity - in Indonesia and
Australia, Victoria Cattoni says she will not analyze any of the
data. For her the most important objective is to provide a space
where women can express themselves freely. Perhaps this is one
way of encouraging cultural interaction and bridging negative
pre-conceptions.

Victoria Cattoni's way of doing research could well be taken
as an effective alternative to the usual practice, and, while the
range of participants must be widened beyond the few places in
Bali and Java, it may become a source of valid information for
gender studies.

Whether the works are also interesting in terms of artistic
endeavor, remains in the eyes of the beholder.

i-box:

Membaca kebaya/Reading the kebaya
Video installation performance
Victoria Cattoni
at Galeri Lontar, Jl. Utan Kayu 68H, East Jakarta
until Aug. 22, 2003 (daily except Mondays and public holidays)