Grace Siregar's art goes from the exquisite to excrement

Grace Siregar's art goes from the exquisite to excrement

By Yusuf Susilo Hartono

JAKARTA (JP): Grace Siregar is beginning to shine
artistically. Though not yet as well known as her fellow Batak
painter Dolorosa Sinaga, Grace is one of the most acclaimed woman
artists in the country, taking part in numerous important
contemporary art events.

Born in Tarutung, North Sumatra, on April 16, 1968, Grace
studied painting with Ahmad on Bangka Island in South Sumatra
from the ages of six to 14. She has been in the fine arts
spotlight over the last two years.

But that is only one small component of her career and
interests. Grace spent three years in the Netherlands, 1995 to
1998, where she obtained a law degree and worked as a
correspondent for a Jakarta newspaper. During this time she also
spent two years studying under Dutch artist Jan van Stolk.

In Holland, she held a solo exhibition at the Overtoom Gallery
in Amsterdam in 1997, and took part in a joint exhibition with
Daan Heldring at WG Gallery in Amsterdam in 1998.

She made her debut in Jakarta in a joint exhibition at Bezete
Gallery, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta, in February 2000. This was
followed by nine joint exhibitions, including shows at Bentara
Budaya, Taman Blok M Plaza and the National Gallery, and a solo
show at the Semanggi Fine Art Hall in June.

She is currently taking part in a joint exhibition with
several other artists at the British Council's Wijoyo Niti Center
in Jakarta. Organized in cooperation with Cemara 6 Gallery, the
show will run until Sept. 30.

Lacking attraction

The subjects of Grace's work, whether on canvas (with various
media) or installations, range from reminiscences of her
childhood on Bangka to topical sociopolitical issues.

She has decorated a tree trunk at the National Gallery and
created an installation from a bathtub, toilet, feces and toilet
paper.

Generally speaking, her artistic expressions are not to
everyone's taste and some of her works could be described as
unpleasant.

Despite this, Japanese collectors have shown great enthusiasm
for her work, as have Dutch and American art enthusiasts.

Indonesian collectors, however, have avoided her canvases,
though cultural expert Umar Kayam does have a painting by Grace,
having received it as a gift.

"It depicts myself turned upside down, because I had my period
and a headache when I was painting. My friend gave it to Umar
Kayam as a birthday present. I myself don't know him personally
yet, nor have I seen where the canvas is hung," said Grace with a
laugh.

In the past two to three years of intense artistic creation,
Grace has been faced with a distinct lack of interest from local
collectors. Despite the absence of income from Indonesian buyers,
she has not given up hope. She continues to create, with her work
piled up at her home in Pasar Genjing, East Jakarta.

As a consolation, Grace likens herself to Vincent van Gogh.
During his life, the artist, whose paintings are now worth
billions of rupiah, enjoyed scant profit from his work. But
still, Grace would like to reap the fruits of her hard work while
still alive.

She is aware that, in general, collectors in Indonesia prefer
art that presents traditional female beauty. She also knows that
her paintings and installations do not fall into this category.

Though the temptation to sell out is great, Grace maintains
her ideals and continues to listen to her inner muse, ignoring
considerations of commercial success, public preference and the
comments of critics and curators.

What she wants upon the unveiling her works is to create a
dialog with the public. Therefore, she lets society be the
curator, rather than those whose names are officially listed at
museums. It is public art that is her focus.

Grace has observed that her foray into public art has produced
diverse, often surprising, and straightforward feedback.

She very much enjoys and is most satisfied creating public art
pieces, allowing communication with people from all walks of life
to take place directly, frankly and spontaneously.

Grace has covered trees near the Blok M bus terminal with
white cloth and built installations out of photos, plastic and
other media at Semanggi. The works drew a range of responses from
cigarette peddlers, pregnant housewives and executives.

"Some praised them as wonderful works, while others just
called them sheep droppings," Grace said with some amusement.

Whether wonderful or dung, Grace saw the comments as deserving
of respect. To her, open and direct criticism avoids distortion.

Her dedication to public art is in itself absorbing as well as
tense. And while exciting, it demands funds for both the creative
process and installation.

Consequently, she and her husband, young British director
Alexander Tristan Davey, have to live prudently. The solo
installation she organized at Semanggi, for example, was made
possible by money the couple had saved for a year.

In her view, the works and the artists creating them should be
separate. By creating this distance, the art will not be bound by
the signature on the corner of the canvas.

So the name "Grace Siregar" cannot be found on her work --
instead, somewhat mysteriously, she initials her works "ESH",
short for Elfrieda Solacratia Hanna.