Cartoon exhibition sizes up a changing society
By Chris Brummitt
JAKARTA (JP): From their first appearance in the mid 19th century, cartoons have been a medium for social criticism and commentary. The time it takes to draw them means they are ideally suited for capturing the mechanics of a society in rapid change.
Following in this tradition are the cartoonists currently exhibiting their work at the Japanese Cultural Center, on the 2nd floor of the Summitmas 1 building, Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. The Japanese Cultural Center held its third Asian cartoon exhibition, featuring cartoons from all over Asia, last July. The works on show this month are 40 or so of the cartoons by Indonesian artists which, through reasons of space, did not make it into the earlier exhibition.
The exhibition is called "Indonesia 1999", and the target of the artists' satire rarely strays from that which is indicated by the title.
Many of the cartoons document the country facing up to the much hyped "global era", the attendant absurdities and the peoples' mixed feelings about the development. How, where and what people eat are frequently made the subject of the cartoons, in such a way that symbolic interpretations are inevitable.
One cartoon shows an Indonesian man in a sarong squatting on the floor of an expensive restaurant, scooping up chicken and rice with his right hand. The waiter looks on astonished. Another depicts a skyline of huge buildings topped with advertising billboards for multinational food companies. Lines of people are leaving each building and heading for a lone warung (a traditional streetside eating house).
The confusion of a society in transition -- from an agricultural based, traditional one to a global, urban one -- is a recurring theme. A well-dressed mobile phone-toting woman stops at a "Warteg Spesial", a warung which serves food from Tegal, Central Java. This cafe is special, however, because it serves only hamburgers, spaghetti and other non-Indonesian food. This absurdity is compounded by the 1 percent discount on offer. The customer asks for the typical Indonesian spicy vegetable dish pecel, and the woman serving her looks blank and question marks rise from her head.
Other cartoons are more direct, and their criticism is of a more political nature. A fat official eats a stick of satay. Taking the place of the meat, however, are photocopied images from a Rp 50,000 note, including the face of former president Soeharto. Drawing, publishing or displaying such a cartoon as little as one year ago would have been asking for trouble from the authorities. Its appearance today is proof of the striking changes which have taken place in Indonesia.
The most detailed work on show is by Nur Andi. A Monopoly board is depicted being ravaged by hands belonging to the government, foreign countries and conglomerates. In one corner there is a single gravestone with the engraving R.I.P Rakyat (R.I.P the People).
If you are in the area, this exhibition is worth dropping in on, as almost all of the cartoons are well drawn and well thought out. One criticism is the absence of biographical details on the artists; it would not have taken much extra work and would have given visitors a bit more to chew on.
The exhibition, which is open to the public at no charge, is open daily in November until 6 p.m., except for Saturdays when it closes at 1 p.m. and Sundays.