Erica's vision spreads to foreign shores

By Dion Hallpike

JAKARTA (JP): The bright, colorful paintings currently covering the walls of Galeri Nasional Indonesia on Jl. Merdeka Timur are only a third of what Erica Hestu Wahyuni has produced up until now.

This dynamic young artist, who turned 30 on Jan. 1, told The Jakarta Post that the gallery simply wasn't big enough for her collection, which is a retrospective of her development as an artist.

While some artists are applauded for adapting to new schools of thought or complex artistic methods, Erica's development translates more openly as a continuing thread and unique style for which she has received praise in one form or another since childhood.

Although some art critics are not receptive to this development and see little in her work that is mature by their own critical standards, many love Erica's works and are drawn into her optimistic, fantastical and sometimes dreamlike visions of the world.

Bright orange elephants in a procession across a city landscape; an exuberant gathering of smiling people sitting, ready to eat a banquet of fish; and curious, even surprised looking cats stretching lazily across the canvasses, all catch the eye.

The viewer is invited to join in the joviality of the scenes, perhaps an invitation to reconnect with the inner-child we all possess.

And like the disproportionate and wildly colorful figures and landscapes in her paintings, Erica's approach to her work is ambitious, optimistic, even idealistic at times, while she continues to ground her art in discipline and consistency.

"Every day I try to put aside some time to paint or make charcoal sketches, it is like a diary of my life as well as my work" Erica told The Jakarta Post.

Erica added that many people see this as an attempt to make money, but she thinks they are misinterpreting her purpose. Not only does Erica want people to see the improvements and development of her work through time, she also has plans for further study of artistic methods, including a three-year Russian excursion starting in October, and eventually aims to set up an "open house" in Yogyakarta.

Erica's work does at times, however, share a passion for depicting a dynamic, happy people involved in harvests and other communal occasions, as can be seen in The Monument of the Friendship of People. Erica said she will most likely struggle with the plastic realism in Russian art, but she is willing to give it her best -- "Even if my work is not accepted, it will be worth it".

Hints of melancholy do pervade some of Erica's later works, such as Imajinasi Indonesia 2000 (The Imagination of Indonesia in 2000), where a trendy young girl, sporting a crown of hearts, wings of an angel and lace-up army boots, sheds tears with an orange elephant, who is also crowned. This takes place amid a collage of recognizably Indonesian monuments and contexts -- the National Monument with its eternal flame stands out, as do two men wearing peci (caps) engaged in debate at the dinner table while a passive woman waits beside them (their choices of food are heart, human, cow, stars or a military officer). The dull gaze of a red cow dominates the background, staring carelessly past the viewer.

As we scan the colorful frame surrounding this vaguely political mix, the looks of three different women vie for our attention; one woman lying down with a cat on her lap, looks directly at the viewer as if anticipating some worthwhile movement or observation; another woman appears to be falling downwards and backwards with a mixture of despair and ecstasy worn upon her face. A blue horse with green wings gallops onwards in her wake. Another woman is singing on a television program, dressed in traditional clothing.

Likewise, in one of her paintings from last year, Menunggu Buka (Waiting for the Opening), a gleeful child gestures with far-flung arms at the dinner table, but the carelessness and anticipation of the child is made solitary by the brooding of the mother, who sits, resting her chin upon her hands, obviously thinking about something else. There is still a colorful and orderly arrangement of food and domestic luxuries, but something is missing from the scene.

After studying the Russian language, new techniques and contemplating the social and political context of Russian monumental art, Erica will no doubt return to Indonesia in three years time with some exciting new perspectives stemming from challenging interactions.

Erica told The Jakarta Post of her plans to set up an "open house" in her hometown of Yogyakarta. "I have traveled abroad very often, and from what I have experienced I see that professionalism and experience is very important for community projects like the one I am undertaking. It can't be a temporary project, it takes time. I can't do it straight away, that would be 'Mission Impossible'!"

Erica's "open house" would be a place for children and keen young artists to gather and spend time with her, either painting or simply observing her at work. They could also play with a collection of traditional Indonesian games - "No Playstation or Sega!" Erica insists. The bravest of the children might even be lured into stroking her pet python!

Erica's depiction of animals with people retains an element of childhood fascination which is often given the cold shoulder in artistic circles. Nevertheless, there is definitely something mystical and enchanting about her colorful elephants, bizarre cats and seemingly dumb cows. Even if the skin of an elephant is rough and gray, this is not how Erica sees them.

The exhibition Reka-reka Erica will continue at Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14, Central Jakarta, until April 19. The launch of the book, Erica, Art's Most Playful Child, will take place on April 18, beginning at 6:30 p.m..