Discovering wholeness, simplicity through art

Discovering wholeness, simplicity through art

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): What kind of art is this? You take one panel of
canvas and paint it plain red acrylic, another one white and put
the two side by side for an exhibition -- and price it at eight
million rupiah?

Perhaps in this context the question whether this is art or
not becomes irrelevant as seven other similar exhibits claim to
be a reflection beyond imagination of artist Lau who finds
himself at a moment in life when he is trying to simplify the
very act of living.

"Life has always been a complex affair. But today it has
become confusing and ugly beyond my control. To make sense of it
all I want is to first create harmony and equilibrium deep within
myself. I try to do this by going back to the basics in my art,"
the 45-year-old painter told The Jakarta Post at the inauguration
of Reflection Beyond Imagination, a three-artist exhibition that
opened here last week.

When Lau discovered that he could not cope with the ongoing
turmoil in his country, he abandoned all figurative painting. In
the past he loved to draw women with all their luscious contours
and inexhaustible charms. He sat down to meditate instead on how
to continue to feel hope in the midst of a seemingly hopeless
situation. And when he did that what surfaced in his imagination
were pristine forms of blank space, squares and above all
circles. Eventually it dawned on him that perhaps one way of
reducing life's burdens is to reduce it all to a dot in an effort
to round off all thought, every action, if human beings wanted to
remain as whole as is possible to be in a lifetime.

The red and white panels are inspired by the colors of the
Indonesian flag and standing shoulder to shoulder they symbolize
the country's unity. However it would take very little to
distance the white panel from the red one putting also to a
symbolic end the unity of Indonesia. This one is predictably
titled Unity.

Yet another exhibit titled Trinity is a variation of different
shapes of a circle in shades of blue, that color of the
shimmering sapphire, the gem stone associated with the wise
planet Saturn. While blue is the hue of the skies, and higher
intelligence it also represents depth, especially of the deep
seas. Lau again paints two panels with only one half of the
circles on each one and only by bringing the two panels together
is he able to form one perfect, longed for whole.

The blue panels seem like a fervent appeal to the higher
rationality of people here to preoccupy themselves only with that
which really matters in life, that which sustains life and not
destroys it. The other exhibits follow the same train of thought
and have equally transcendental titles like Cleanse Your Soul,
Integrity, Purity, Infinity and Versatility.

The works of Thi D. Nguyen, originally from Vietnam and a
Chinese brush painter, are also on display at the same
exhibition. He is able to identify totally with the present state
of mind with Lau as he has always been attracted to simple
concepts like the yin and yang and explores them tirelessly in
his art. An example of what he purports comes across best in the
canvas titled Left Handed Cellist Lover's Dignity that was one of
the six pieces sold out on the inaugural evening itself. Whether
it is in art or in life what matters most to Nguyen is simplicity
which is evident in all his work whether it be drawing or
photography. A graduate in chemical engineering from a Canadian
University, Nguyen also chooses to live and work in a little
kampung in West Java.

What both Lau and Thi have in common with Scott Carpenter, the
third artist displaying his works at the same exhibition is
photography. All three are guilty of carrying on a great romance
with the camera although they pursue full time careers in quite
other professions.

Lau is a well-known gynecologist and even as he studied
medicine in Germany he spent much of his time abroad taking
photographs. Nguyen learnt to hold an ink brush in imitation of
his uncle at the same time he was learning to walk in his
Vietnamese hometown Hue. He claims that much of his work is
inspired by photography.

Carpenter's love of photography is born out of his more
insatiable lust for wandering around the world. The American
photographer who is a senior manager of a US listed Fortune 500
company is quite ecstatic about his first exhibition in Jakarta.
He claims to have visited almost every country south of China and
refuses to name a favorite saying that each one is unique in its
own way.

During his eleven years in the region, Carpenter has added to
his collection some amazing shots from different societies. The
Buddha and the Monk from Sri Lanka is mesmerizing for both its
modesty and majesty. A favorite is the traditional shadow puppet
master. There may not be anything unique about the subject but
Carpenter's shot is special for its very simplicity. Besides, he
has done a great job of printing the black and white photograph
on a canvas that allows him to leave it naked within a simple
frame like a painting instead of confining it like other photo
exhibits behind a heavy plate of glass. Shot with a high speed
3200 film, the photograph has documented such fine details that
no human eye could ever dream of observing in the hustle and
bustle of real life.

The exhibition remains open till Jan. 4, 2001 in the lobby of
The Regent Jakarta.