From 1998 to 2004, 'Donosaurus' marches on
From 1998 to 2004, 'Donosaurus' marches on
Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta
Heri Dono's 11th solo exhibition, currently on show at Galeri Nasional, is evidence of his continual fascination with wayang, comics, and sociopolitical commentaries.
The exhibition, which includes 10 paintings and 15 installations made between 1998 and 2004, evokes a sense of ennui in those who are familiar with his work.
Others, however, continue to marvel at his grotesque and distorted wayang or out-of-this-world, often spooky images that take the exaggerated shapes of monsters or aliens from outer space.
Mostly spiced up with humor -- or satire that stretches to cynicism -- Dono's poignant messages on oppression, power abuse and violent authority are in fact commentaries on the comic and tragic aspects of the human condition, particularly in his home country.
Seeing Indonesia is like viewing a painting in a mirror, every shape is seen in its reverse so that it becomes logical and agreeable, he declares.
His earliest work titled Playing Chess is of distorted figures, which represent political leaders, playing chess. Dono has produced numerous such paintings, often resembling each other in the monstrous dimensions of their subject matter.
But what really captures our attention is Dono's installations with robot-like figures representing the human condition, such as Political Clown, Fermentation of Mind or Watching the Marginal People.
One of his three recent installations is called Shock Therapy for the Political Leaders. The installation consists of a row of 10 chairs -- with each row measuring 73 cms x 30cms x 30cms -- hanging on the wall. Above a tiny sculpture on the seat of each chair is a small gong which moves mechanically. The twist is that the figures, which should be sitting in their chairs, are in fact hanging upside down from the chair's legs.
His critical observations often surpass local or national issues. Trojan Cow, which received international acclaim at the Venice Biennale, is his comment on the 9/11 bombings, while Trojan Horse mocks the American invasion of Iraq . In his paintings Perjalanan ke Planet Mars (Journey to Mars) and Tarzan Menjaring Astonaut (Tarzan nets astronauts), he jeers at superpowers who he accuses of using their prestigious outer space projects to illustrate their superiority over so-called Tarzan countries.
The painting is not confronting at first glance. The figures are painted in a childish manner, evoking the sense that a child has been at work.
Heri Dono has been a practicing artist for over twenty years, during that time he has earned a reputation for art that synthesizes elements from international and Javanese traditional art, while also showing his enthusiasm for cartoons.
His stature is reflected in his participation at major international biennales and triennials, as well as residencies in Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Shanghai. His was also invited to the prestigious Venice Biennale.
The 43-year-old Dono was born and raised in Jakarta, where he enjoyed a sense of freedom among the artists at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIMI), whom he observed were able to say what they wanted. Since early childhood, he had dreamed about freedom of expression. Angels became his motif.
To him, angels symbolize freedom. "Angels have wings and can fly wherever they want." And so his angels take him to the remotest corners of his imagination, picking up elements of real life, wayang, and cartoons along the way.
An earlier motif was that of an androgynous angel with stern features. The angel seemed to have come from outer space with clapping wings, driven by a mechanical device, and a dangling penis. Was Dono hinting at the practice of patriarchy in society? Flying Angles, which looked like butterflies from afar, was later shown with slight changes in title and composition to represent a new variation of the same theme, such as Angels Caught in a Trap. His latest work on angels is the installation titled Bidadari Turun ke Bumi (Angels descend to the earth), a grouping of angels this time with women's features (although the penis is still there).
A low-tech wizard, Dono has a zest for simple toy-like devices. Perhaps he feels the need to balance the international flights and hectic schedule that have become second nature to him.
The exhibition comes with a book on Heri Dono titled Who is afraid of Donosaurus, which is written by Hendrowiyanto and published by Nadi Gallery.
Who is Afraid of Donosaurus, a solo exhibition of the works of Heri Dono, organized by Nadi Gallery at Galeri Nasional in Central Jakarta, from March 2 until March 12.