Half a century of Indonesian printmaking

Half a century of Indonesian printmaking

By Aendra H. Medita

JAKARTA (JP): A large exhibition at Bentara Budaya Jakarta is
attempting to trace the development of Indonesian printmaking
over the last 50 years.

The development of graphic arts differs greatly from other
fine arts. The art of painting was developed earlier with the
birth of the Indonesian Painters Association and the
establishment of Young Indonesian Artists.

But the exhibition does not seek to compare printmaking and
painting. Rather it traces the development of Indonesian graphic
arts, and explores the many influences it has had during its long
journey.

Indonesian graphic arts is colored by intricate forms and
styles developed in the era of colonialism: suppression, struggle
and propaganda. The journey of this art form tends to be
affected greatly by social and political influences.

It is a delight that Bentara Budaya Jakarta takes a thorough
look at the art of printmaking through the displayed works. At
least the attempt should be hailed, though they might possibly
have overlooked some current artists.

In addition to the exhibition, titled Setengah Abad Seni
Grafis Indonesia, Bentara Budaya, in cooperation with Kepustakaan
Populer Gramedia, has jointly published a 188-page bilingual book
titled Setengah Abad Seni Grafis Indonesia (Half a Century of
Indonesian Printmaking).

At the exhibition, which will run through Nov. 4, 80 graphic
artists present their works. With this many artists it is no
surprise to find a wide range of themes, some artists being
influenced by social and political events, others drawing
inspiration from nature.

The works are presented in two rooms of Bentara Budaya. The
participants range from older artists such as Affandi, Popo
Iskandar, Zaini, Widayat, AD Pirous, Kabul Suadi, Sudjana Kerton
and T. A. Sutanto, to younger artists like Tisna Sanjaya,
Priyanto Sunarto, FX Harsono, Harry Dim, Agung Kurniawan, Harry
Wahyu and Maridan Nasution.

Their works are remarkably varied. The aesthetical power of
the works emanate from the sharp shapes and lines, as well as
from a steadfast touch. Each artist has their own style, with
the character and spirit of the work expressed in varying moods.

Another topic of interest is the spiritual strength of
Indonesian printmaking. This is clearly represented in the
exhibition, because most of the displayed works are able to
reveal their substance.

In tracing the development of graphic arts over a half
century, it is impossible for us to unfold the history and then
close it. For example, a group of artists from Lembaga Kebudayaan
Rakyat (Lekra), or the Institute of People's Culture, an
organization under the umbrella of the now defunct Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI), produced a lot of graphic works.

Kaboel Suadi, a graphic artist who is now preparing a book on
graphic arts produced by Lekra artists, said a number of Lekra
artists were involved in printmaking, but none of their works
were included in this exhibition.

"I have seen many of their works," said Kaboel, who is also a
senior lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB)'s
School of Fine Arts and Design.

Kaboel said his book would look at the works of Lekra artists
from various cities in West Java and Central Java.

Most of the displayed works are very interesting. FX Harsono's
works are filled with satirical jokes commenting on the current
situation in the country. Harsono presents a series of stamps of
former president Sukarno, along with the name Republik Indonesia
(the Republic of Indonesia), which is jokingly changed into
Republik Indochaos. Or there are Priyanto's romantic works
depicting sand being transported from Cisangkuy River to his
house.

Suromo's works beautifully portray the common people, and
Sudjana Kerton's Kekasih (Lovers) shows two people expressing
their love for one another. Kerton's work is heavily influenced
by cubism, something which may have resulted from trips to the
Netherlands and France in the early l950s.

The most important note on this exhibition is that it has to
be admitted that the strength of the works varies. There are
those that are surprising in the essence they convey. There are
also those that borrow from other works' esthetic metaphors, with
the filter-print collages produced by the late artist Andy
Warhol.

Indeed, this exhibition presents a half century of graphic
arts, and a half century of Indonesia's graphic history. But what
is essential is that the maturity of this half century is not a
forced effort to make it appear important, rather it is the real
history of graphic arts in Indonesia.