Local ceramic artist finds beauty in hard times
By Amir Sidharta
JAKARTA (JP): Beautiful Indonesia, or Hindia Molek, a form of painting that depicts Indonesia's idyllic landscapes, or exotic and idealized nymphs, dominated the art scene here during the Dutch occupation.
Artist Suyatna claims that his paintings, which incorporate ceramics, can be considered a continuation of this theme which highlights Indonesia's natural beauty. Therefore, half jokingly, he titled his exhibition at Galeri Santi, in South Jakarta, Beautiful Indonesia Part II.
His solo exhibition runs from May 19 to May 30.
The similarities between the works depicting the fair Hindia, or Dutch East Indies as the archipelago was then known, and the works of Suyatna is that they both see Indonesia as a beautiful country. However there is a stark difference in the perception of beauty in his works.
Painters of the Indies saw the environment as something to be preserved, which is why they romanticized the natural landscape.
In contrast, Suyatna considers that no matter what happens, Indonesia will still be his beautiful and beloved country.
He says, "if the Hindia Molek painters depict a beautiful heaven from the front, I see that its back yard is more interesting and is also reality."
His paintings of nudes or dancers look conventional on the surface but his paintings are not merely formal explorations or expressions. He looks beyond external beauty to the inner psyche and character, and human conflicts.
His other ceramic paintings show scenes of daily life. Javanese rituals involving the tumpengan (a traditional rice cone) is one of his favorite themes. He depicts mounds of yellow rice in the center of a frame, surrounded by other figures trying to get their share of the treat.
"The rice cone represents our feast, the absurd feast that we have celebrated for past decades in which everyone is involved and in which everyone is represented," he said.
Bountiful supplies of fish, pineapples and other crops seem to be the artist's method of expressing the current problems of scarcity.
"Don't forget one of the most important fundamentals is self sufficiency in food, let's not dream of a 'take-off' era now!" he exclaimed, referring to views before the crisis that the country may be ready for a more advanced economic phase.
Suyatna's works on daily life do not merely depict the scenery but also a kind of symbolic parody to express other concerns.
"I believe beauty exists in everything not only the elements of rice fields, mountains, the sea and palm trees or the female body ...," Suyatna said. "Beauty should also be in immorality, ignorance, absurdity, in mistakes and even in wisdom, in times of crisis or feasts."
His views relate closely to the media of his choice. Painting with ceramics poses a quite substantial element of uncertainty.
Ceramic paints can be applied to ceramic biscuit tiles depending on the forms, colors and textures that the painter would like to achieve. Yet the final result would only be known for certain once it has been fired in a kiln to 1,200 degrees Celsius.
The artist can search for the beauty that he would like to render by controlling the use of materials in accordance with his proficiency and talent in handling the media. However, in the end, the elements of uncertainty and unpredictability are also present in his paintings.
Suyatna said that after many years of working with ceramics, "the factors of accident and surprise actually seldom occur", especially when using a consistent kiln like the one at Essenza, a tile producer, with which he cooperates.
Suyatna graduated from the Jakarta Institute of Arts in 1981, majoring in ceramic arts. From 1983 to 1984 he undertook a fellowship from the Japanese Foundation to study Japanese ceramic arts under Marioka Shigeyoshi in Namban-yaki.
His works have been exhibited in various solo or joint exhibitions, in Indonesia and abroad. Since 1985, Suyatna has been working on ceramic paintings in his own ceramics studio.
"In a ceramic painting, the accident and surprise factor is more of an experimentation (in the mixture of components of color, treatment and methods of application) that is actually intentionally and continuously planned," he explained.
This way, elements of accident and surprise can always be pursued so that the painting becomes lively, he said.
Such processes reflect a little of Suyatna's life -- hardworking and striving for perfection, avoiding mistakes and accidents in the process.
But the uncertainty is there to remind the artist, and us, of human imperfection.
The writer is the curator of the above exhibition.