Japanese, Indonesian artists meet on common ground

Japanese, Indonesian artists meet on common ground

By Pavan Kapoor

JAKARTA (JP): The start of a new year is a good time for
renewing relationships and reinforcing cultural bonds.

So when a new millennium dawns, it is only fitting that the
idealized domain of art serve as a tool of intercultural
dialogue.

Art Exchange 2000 Indonesia - Japan is an amalgamation of the
abstract art of four Indonesian artists and four Japanese
artists. The exhibition was opened on March 15 by Japanese
Ambassador to Indonesia Takao Kawakami at the Japan Foundation on
Jl. Sudirman in Jakarta.

The four Japanese artists displayed various themes and styles
in mixed media. Particularly eye-catching were the three-
dimensional works of Hironori Hagiwara, who painted on serrated
paper cut in various triangular forms and placed in linear
equilibrium.

It reminds one of the Ikebana flower arrangements which aim
for transcendental beauty in every angle. Just as full blooms are
harmonized with twigs and artistically crooked sticks, the paper
wedges in Hironori's works entitled Stick Moves seem to hang in
symmetric and aesthetic equations.

Kazuyuki Uno presents a number of works in paint and print. A
black-and-white maze is crisscrossed with stark red lines,
creating a fascinating 3-D effect for the observer. Born in
Chiba, Japan, Kazuyuki studied art at the Tokyo National
University of Fine Art and Music and has participated in numerous
solo and group exhibitions.

Kazuyuki questions perceptions of reality in the abstract
black-and-white prints in his works. He tries to portray the
dilemma that the real and tangible in life are indeed as elusive
as his fleeting landscapes and settings. In Landscape of Mimesis,
he presents images of architecture nature as they emerge and
submerge in our view. People, animals and vegetation are also
elusively portrayed.

Kozo Matsuda is a Japanese artist who revels in the fusion of
European watercolor techniques and his Japanese artistic roots.
Born in Saga-Ken, Kozo studied art in Tokyo, France and
Switzerland.

Kozo's Hortensias IOB shows limpid squares of soft, flowing
watercolors punctuated with smudges of transparent flowers placed
in geometric pattern, expressing simultaneously the Japanese love
for order and beauty.

The fourth Japanese artist, Tetsuo Onari, chooses to stymie
those observers who would read the title of the piece and then
work toward understanding the artist's point of view.

He leaves his simple and small frames untitled and urges
people to find their own meanings. Tetsuo graduated from the
Tokyo University of Fine Arts and has exhibited his works in
Japan, Korea and Bali.

Tetsua expresses the complications of life in vibrantly
colored canvases on which there are colored dots, including his
work Route 14.

There are four Indonesian painters displaying their works at
the exhibition, some of who have previously exhibited in Japan.

Sulebar M. Soekarman was born in Bandung and has been involved
in art since he was small. His large colorful canvases are placed
on the right side of the entrance of the exhibition hall,
catching the eye of those entering the hall. In Nature of
Jakarta, intricate batik cloth and magazine clippings combine
with bright paint to form an attractive and thought-provoking
work.

Souvenir from IPOH has a large turquoise and sunflower yellow
spiral forming the nucleus of the canvas. An exquisite piece of
black and beige batik textile is incorporated with the big leaves
at the base of the sunflower, giving the observer the feeling of
spiraling.

On the other side of the entrance hang the works of Nunung
WS, whose Krida Waodya was honored by the state minister of the
empowerment of women.

Nunung's simple canvases are flooded with one or two flat
colors, evidence of her obsession with color. As she has said,
color is the most important medium in her work, and spirit is
something she wishes to express through color.

Color is a way to total expression, she says. Satu Bunga Satu
Daun (One flower with one leaf) and Yellow Path are two of her
works on display. The paintings are dominated by browns, reds and
amber yellows.

A little more challenging are Elisha's canvases, which take
the eye from one detail to the next as if in a designed pattern.

In Life Behind the Door, Elisha has intelligently incorporated
a mixture of mediums, such as Japanese ribbon, textile and paper
to create an abstraction of the cultural interaction between
Japan and Indonesia.

And last but not least is Rudolf G. Usman, who coordinated the
exhibition and is showing his works as well. Rudolf attended the
Institute of Fine Arts in Jakarta and also studied under painter
Siaw Tik Kwie. Rudolf's admiration for traditional East Asia ink
painting is apparent in his work.

He feels ink painting emphasizes man's humble position in the
greatness of nature. Rudolf's paintings feature vivid gold colors
and in The Soul of the Todaiji Temple, he has fused small
Japanese fans with oriental colors and Japanese script.

The perspective and nuances in shading show the tranquil
beauty of the world. Serenity is the greatest inspiration
for Rudolf, and this feeling is obvious one views his works.

The exhibition will run until March 25 at The Japan
Foundation, Summitmas I.