Experimentalism thrives in local modern art

Experimentalism thrives in local modern art

By Franki Raden

JAKARTA (JP): A surge of creativity heightened the spirit of
experimentalism here in the 1990s, particularly last year.

No longer satisfied with painting and sculpture to convey
their social, political and artistic aspirations, artists turned
to new forms, continuing the Indonesian New Fine Arts movement
which began in the 1970s.

One visible result is in installation arts. This is where
display spaces are no longer limited to the function of
exhibiting paintings and sculpture.

Artists now consider indoor and outdoor spaces inseparable
from the objects they intend to display; the spaces become part
of their works.

Interestingly, this form not only enables artists to
transmit unlimited social and political messages, but also
provides an opportunity to use technology.

A notable example is the installation work by Putut H.
Pramana, Suatmaji, B.J. Riyanto and Yongki Suwarno, entitled
Ekstase Spiritual (Spiritual Ecstasy).

This was a fine combination of graphics, interior design and
audiovisuals. It was on display in the Nur Gora Rupa experimental
arts exhibition held last April in Surakarta, Central Java.

A traditional Sundanese love tune, the asmarandana, played
throughout a video on national development. However, the lyrics
featured maling-maling (thieves) and were poetically presented
through graphics and light.

Another intriguing technological installation at the event
was by Heri Dono. He scattered gamelan instruments of various
tones. The instruments automatically began to play at certain
times in a corner of the display room.

Bonyong and his colleagues' experiment with bamboo in the
open space was completely wild.

The same festival show cased a number of performing arts,
such as the Hening Swastiastu by composer Joseph Praba.

Praba illustrated violence in human life through a very
expressive, shocking display of lights, color, poetry and
silence. He read a poem on violence which was followed by an
oval-shaped flash of blood-red light on the floor of the theater.
Then he let the audience wait in suspenseful silence for eight
minutes.

Artist Agus Joly also presented the ritual dimension of arts
and life during seven days in the open air in Surakarta.

The composer Sutanto, dancer Laksmi and myself worked on
erotic associations in cinematic style. Here a beautiful woman, a
wild-looking man and a female blind masseur featured in what we
called Si Mbok (The Mother).

Then there was some happening art by Dadang Christanto, who
vividly depicted the issue of power and Western culture; a model
of a Western man was denied his right to speak at an informal
discussion.

Yasudah, another composer, presented "environmental music".
Dozens of cyclists loaded with various instruments traveled from
the center of Surakarta to the Taman Budaya (Cultural Center)
where the festival was held.

Experiments also flourished at other festivals. The October
Forum at the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Rupa-rupa Seni
Rupa in Yogyakarta and the Didi-Sena International Mime Festival
all had representations.

Other events were the Senimania Republika and the Indonesian
Dance Festival. Both were held in Jakarta.

More displays were those by FX Harsono at Jakarta's Ministry
of Education and Culture, the poet Didik Suardi at Surakarta's
Cultural Center, Rahmayani at Studio Oncor in Jakarta and the
Sketsa jazz musicians at the Jakarta Art Center or Taman Ismail
Marzuki.

The musicians Harry Roesli and Heri Dim performed in
Bandung, and Andar Manik, Margie Suwanda dan I Wayan Sadra in
Surakarta.

Rahmayani's work, entitled Religion, Sex and Coca Cola,
caused some furor. She provocatively questioned the role of both
religious and secular tokens, like the Koran, the famed soft
drink and condoms, in life.

This potential artist and vocalist presented an equally
interesting visual piece in the Sketsa jazz group, probably the
most attractive art event last year.

It was the first instance where Indonesian jazz musicians
succeeded in presenting an experiment which surpassed musical
borders.

In his Bandung performance called Overdosis (Overdose),
Harry Roesli also used such a medium. The event highlighted the
regeneration of Indonesian contemporary musicians through his
DKSB workshop.

Overdosis combined works of the young composers Haviel,
Erick, Dodi and Dudi and Roesli himself, with visuals by Heri
Dim. Last October, Dim presented an interesting performing art at
the opening of his painting display in Bandung.

Installation art

Harsono's display was the first in which all works were
installation art. He conveyed his long-time concern over
injustice in strong visual representations.

One of his works was entitled Voice from the Throne/Power
and Oppression. It revealed the dramatic value of power and
exploitation through symbols of bloodspots, wood and a chair.

Following the same theme, in the Indonesian Dance Festival
Sardono W. Kusumo presented an appealing multi-media performance
entitled Detik-Detik Tempo. It ran for four and a half hours.

Sena Utoyo used similar media in his Se Tong Se Tenggak at
the Didi-Sena International Mime Festival.

How Kusumo and Utoyo developed experiments they began with
artists from the Jakarta Arts Institute in 1976 is interesting.

They started with a complex performance called Yellow
Submarine in the 1970s. It involved noted figures like government
critic Ali Sadikin, writers Umar Kayam and Danarto, dancer Farida
Feisol and the late directors Wahyu Sihombing and Djayakusuma.

Putu Wijaya's readings of his short stories entitled Blok at
the Jakarta Arts Center last month is also notable. With the
support of Harry Roesli's music, Putu manipulated the shadows on
a giant screen to accentuate the visual and theatrical elements
of his absurd and dramatic stories.