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At a time when painting in the abstract mode is being hailed worldwide, and the realistic style is considered outdated, Chusin Setiadikara (b. 1949) is challenging the mainstream in contemporary art by using realism in a form that no one has seen before.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