Cartoonist Eddy Hermanto exhibits his serious side
By Wawan S. Husin
BANDUNG (JP): Gallery Bandung, one of the few galleries in the West Java capital that "dares to be different", is exhibiting about 30 works of cartoonist Eddy Hermanto. The solo exhibition was opened by Tisna Sanjaya, a graphic artist and lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), on April 28.
In his notes for the exhibition, Sanjaya wrote "... Eddy Hermanto has exposed his inner world, and shows us in his paintings some flattened and deformed figures. The figures which are imperfect and as though unfinished.
"This must be his language of expression in witnessing reality... His Berkebun di Atas Kepala -- the theme of his exhibition -- can be viewed as his inner statement to others (public and artist) in growing the cultural awareness of the future. Cultural awareness that is also to grow from our inner heart ... "
Visitors to the exhibition, which will be open to the public until May 13, 2000, would be wrong to assume the paintings are as humorous and light as his cartoon subject matter.
In his paintings Hermanto can throw away the "funny" image of the cartoon. He has shown his own power and energy by using the "ough", the onomatopoeic sound of people saying "o" sounds.
The figures open their mouths as though in surprise. It is beyond one's expectations, and it is like talking to oneself. It is also an act of witnessing. If one sees a person saying something but the person's deeds are quite far from what he/she said, then one will say or sigh "ough".
The "ough" sound then can become a semiotics of unfulfilled expectation. It is a sign of disappointment. Then it may also become a shouting, a crying out of dissatisfaction. An upset expression created from witnessing the disharmony between saying and doing. Between tongue and body and limbs.
The discrepancy is witnessed by the artist. A more serious reaction? The shout can even become outrageous blame and condemnation, or cursing. Witnessing Hermanto's works -- himself a critical writer -- people should try to understand the hullabaloo and chaotic cultural tragedy beginning in 1997 and continuing up to the present.
A lot of mouths are open speaking of something divine, and yet the situation has become a tragedy. It occurs when what is spoken about is different from the hard reality of daily life.
Gardening on Our Head is a call to be intelligent and critical in observing the situation. Like a warning; beware of your mouths, and beware of the situation. Hermanto's background as a teacher at a senior high school in Bandung and a newspaper journalist in Bandung, Yogyakarta and Semarang led to his creating an exhibition showing his intelligent and critical mind.
Hermanto, who was born in Garut, West Java, graduated from the Teachers Training Institute (IKIP) Bandung in 1984. He was involved in more than 20 group exhibitions for paintings and cartoons in Bandung, Jakarta, Bali, and Italy (Fano Funny Cartoon Festival Theme Cloning, Italy 1996).
His solo exhibition does not merely prove a "cartoonist needs to be critical, intelligent and have a sense of humor" but also that "paintings can be expressive when an artist witness the reality ... "
Despite his calm and humble demeanor, Hermanto is a critical observer. His background and track record show his sensibilities, and he deserves acclaim.