Biennale X presents selection of Indonesia's finest
Biennale X presents selection of Indonesia's finest
By Carla Bianpoen
JAKARTA (JP): Biennale X at the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center is an event that has caused every organizing committee a headache. Not only because the number of artists is growing by the year, but because there appeared to be no way of pleasing all parties.
This year, however, there seems to be every reason for the Jakarta Arts Council, the organizing committee, to be pleased.
Although there may be some disagreement about the scope of what has been perceived as "art", the general view is that the 10th biennale is marked by a solid selection of young painters from all over Indonesia.
The exhibiting arrangements led by Nunung W.S., an artist herself, show improvement and are more professional. Nevertheless, it is still a question mark whether there is enough reason to open the doors of this biennial event to international participation, as the council hopes.
Participation this year was limited to Indonesian painters who emerged between 1970 and 1990. Sulebar Soekarman, one of the curators, explains that selection was based on consistent creative activity marked by innovative exploration.
Sixty artists with 113 art works are included in the event which runs through Dec. 15.
Works
If it is true that artists tend to express the tenor of their time, then this exhibition certifies that belief. However, while the tenor of their time may be the same, the impact it has on each individual's work greatly depends on the artist's individuality. This is evident in the diversity of subject themes, styles and concepts, all of which attest to the unavoidable impact of change.
Affected by global trends, some artists have shown contempt for conventional notions of art. Agus Suwage's Cinderamata a la Indonesia (Souvenirs of Indonesia), for instance, communicates his social critique in a clear, easily understandable manner. Consisting of six photographic facial presentations, each face is presented as a caricature. Some people have doubts about whether this work can be included in what is generally understood as "art". Others, however, laud this as an honest piece of art.
Social critique is what dominates other works as well. Hanura Hosea's critique comes in juxtaposing images with narrative meaning. A pessimistic view of what he perceives around him is enforced by grey-blue hues coloring the long, sad faces in Obedient Participants or in his unreal images in Sidang Dewan Selera Lidah.
Teguh Ostenrik brings his critique in a more subtle way. Dialog features a horse and a warrior, very much in the genre of his Homo sapiens, but this time inspired by the art of the Tang Dynasty. The highly simplified contours of the horse and the warrior and the multilayered coloring of the background convey a certain grandeur of artistry.
On another note, Jerry T. presents an unusual kind of art on the Indonesian art scene. Experimenting with multimedia, his Tiga Titik Emas (Three Gold Dots) and Borobudur make use of the natural colors of various kinds of paper. With additional gold and black paint, and a Chinese calligraphic touch, the works are like innovations of Chinese brush, though no Chinese brush has been used.
I Made Djirna comes over as an Abstract Expressionist, with qualities deriving from his emotion or vision, as well as contemplation. Particularly in his Wajah Baru (New Face) the flow of washed black-brown and pinkish white-grey colors interacting with one another form vaguely recognizable geometric shapes. His multimedia Alam Sekitarku (My Surroundings) is equally intriguing.
Astari Rasjid's Temple of Efflorescence deals with innovations of artistic expression and conception in the transformation from the traditional to the contemporary. Engaged in explorations dealing with the gender disparities still dominating many segments of society, Astari has produced stirring depictions of the drama revolving around the lives of women whose have found themselves with one foot stuck in stereotypical biases and while the other is struggling to march toward the future.
Today Astari presents a self-portrait, which is at the same time a symbol for Indonesian women of the present. In this portrait she claims her place under the sun, to which she feels she is entitled in her own right. Placing herself in Javanese ceremonial attire against a background of the Borobudur Temple, Astari underlines her roots, the Javanese tradition, with its strict regulations for every aspect of life, including the place of women in society.
However, by putting emphasis on her roots, Astari is determined not to be limited by it, nor has she the intention to leave her culture behind. Instead she engages in redefining traditional values with contemporary meaning.
Adhering to the Javanese concept of balance and avoiding open disharmony, she nevertheless shows that change is unavoidable. Subtle, but clear, are the modifications in the demeanor of a woman today: her gaze is straight and determined, her arms straight, her hands loose.
To convey the male and female dimensions which exist in every person, Astari has used symbols like Borobudur and the lotus flower. As well, she has placed her figure in an unusual upright position.