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.