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.