Chusin challenges abstract mode, redefines realism

Chusin challenges abstract mode, redefines realism

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

At a time when painting in the abstract mode is being hailed
worldwide, and the realistic style is considered outdated, Chusin
Setiadikara (b. 1949) is challenging the mainstream in
contemporary art by using realism in a form that no one has seen
before.

His solo exhibition at Galeri Nasional represents the fruits
of a decade's persistent exploration of the style that he has
known since early childhood. Ignoring sarcastic and condescending
comments from his peers, Chusin Setiadikara has stayed true to
his own convictions and the belief that an artist ought to be
innovative and imaginative.

The results are thrilling, with his works introducing
innovative approaches and his redefinition of realism liable to
give a new direction to art worldwide.

Realism has its roots in Europe, from where it expanded to
other parts of the world. The emergence of photography, however,
greatly diminished realism's importance, and the world of modern
and contemporary art in general had little time for artists using
realism as their language of expression. Realism became a sort of
outcast of the art world.

So did Chusin, when he decided on realism, rejecting the
notion of order -- subordinating one to the other -- in artistic
expression. His Bandung peers in 1990 condescendingly described
his vision as 'lagging behind' due to the fact that he had never
been educated in an academic art institution. But Chusin
persisted. He even went a step further by combining various
styles in a single work while giving each its full due.

Mastering virtually every technique, he can easily link an
abstract scene with a realistic portrayal, such as in Ikan dalam
Kurung, covering small parts of the two planes with a simple fish
framed by just four surrounding lines and adding two small fish
underneath. One is also struck by his unusual application of
charcoal on paint, accentuating the expressive features and
heightening the dramatic, as in Selimut Merah (Red blanket) and
Transaksi 2001-11.900 (Transaction).

Fish, and particularly dried salted fish, are a symbol
assuming great significance in his art. Dried salted fish, or
ikan asin, as it is called in Indonesia, is well known at
virtually all levels of society. Yet, because of its ugly,
decayed appearance, its peculiar smell, and its low cost, it has
become identified with the poor and marginalized segments of
society.

Chusin identifies himself with these fish, but doesn't become
bogged down in its less favorable aspects. Instead, he takes it
out of its traditional context, and makes it a personal metaphor
for his narratives on the faltering economy, the exchange rate
and their impacts on the poor.

The salted dried fish in related works are painted silver,
reportedly the favorite color of the elite at the time they were
produced. "It's also dubbed Millennium Fish," said Chusin,
explaining that the optimistic predictions that accompanied the
advent of the new millennium mostly served the elite, whose
actions, however, heavily affect the lives of the non-elite.

The silver color of the fish in Ikan Asin Tahun 2000,
Transaksi 2000, Transaksi 2001-11.900 places an emphasis on such
linkages, rendering even more depth to the dynamic expression
through the use of charcoal.

Of great importance is the aesthetic that pervades Chusin
Setiadikara's art.

Whether it is in his images of women, or his representations
of social realities, the fragmentation of images, or in
memorializing atrocities, violence and rapes, Chusin never fails
to give the aesthetic its rightful place. But defining his
accomplishment as a great artist is the way he introduces his
personal empathy, his very soul, to the canvas, touching the
innermost depths of the heart.

Chusin was familiar with realism even before he entered
school. The seventh child in a family of eight, he benefited from
the company of his artistic siblings and the art books that
filled their home.

At that time, realism was what art was about, he reminisces.
He says he admired Basuki Abdulah, and looked up to the Russian
realist painting described in the art books. By the age of eight
he was already proficient in painting in the realistic mode. But
he remained restless, trying out other styles and seeking other
means of artistic expression, including drawing, water colors, as
well as the abstract.

He became proficient in each style he experimented with,
something that served him well in a later stage of his
development. In 1987 he left Bandung to settle in Bali, where he
chose realism as his means of artistic exploration, using
photography as a tool.

The exhibition is jointly supported by the National Gallery in
Jakarta, UBS Financial Services Group and CP Artspace, a newly
established foundation, initiated by a group of Indonesian
companies. The foundation aims to enter the platform of
multiculturalism in the USA with exhibitions of works of artists
who are making a difference. In keeping with this philosophy,
Chusin Setiadikara's 74 works will be exhibited in Washington DC,
from June 7 through July 15, 2002.

The works will not be on sale. A catalog with an extensive
curatorial introduction by Jim Supangkat is available for Rp.
59,000.

Post-Photography Realistic Portrayal at Galeri Nasional, Jl.
Medan Merdeka Timur 17, runs through March 6, 2002.