Maninjau in the minds of female artists

Maninjau in the minds of female artists

By Stephanie Bell

JAKARTA (JP): The incredible array of colors, textures and
materials on display may strike visitors as they explore the
small, intimate, purple space at the Kinara Kinari Gallery on Jl.
Kemang Timur, South Jakarta.

Visions From Maninjau, open until Saturday, is the end of a
journey of six women from Australasia and Singapore who traveled
to the remote West Sumatran community of Maninjau to capture what
they saw, felt and experienced.

They lived for one month last year by Lake Maninjau, which
they all agreed was breathtakingly beautiful. While this provided
a peaceful backdrop for their creations, they were easily able to
mix with the people in the small community, just as important to
the artists' work as the natural environment.

Some painted, some sculpted, others drew and photographed. But
all of them gained inspiration from the natural beauty of their
surroundings, the people of Maninjau and each other.

Singaporean artist and sculptor Selina Lau arrived in Maninjau
with an idea of what she wanted to achieve, but allowed her
experiences and vision to guide her. Lau's work is always an
expression of her spirituality, sometimes combining East and
West.

She arrived knowing that she wanted to produce a piece
combining the Western religious icon of the Rosicrucian Cross
with an Eastern spiritual Tibetan meditation symbol. She was,
however, unsure of the colors she would use until the morning she
began her piece, Meditation Journey Into Intuition.

"That morning, I decided on the colors as I watched dawn by
the lake, while listening to Gregorian chant music. The lake was
silver, beautiful."

The final product is a blend of her impressions of the silver
of the lake and the green of the trees surrounding its waters.

Other artists looked to the community for inspiration. Donna
Hanson initially had no idea what she would come back to Jakarta
with. After watching children in the community who loved flying
kites, she spent her time producing a series of paintings which
were her impressions of the kites.

While her works are as rich in color and life as the
inspirations for them, they are definitely to hang on the wall,
not fly in the air! Hanson has also produced other similar
pieces, which are as much her impressions of her experiences as
what she saw. There are two of the lake and the land surrounding
it, called Land Trailed by Water, and two paintings which are
impressions of the local mosque, titled Spiral Roof.

Once the people of Maninjau discovered that artist Debbie Hall
needed wood for her sculptures they were only too happy to help
in bringing her many pieces. Hall, who produced a series of
reliefs on wood sculptures, was able to use the wood to create
her impressions of the local culture and people with works such
as Selamat Datang (Welcome) and a series of three sculptures,
Rites of Passage.

Sue Ninham's works are as diverse as the land and the people
she lived among during her stay. Works that have proven popular
with residents of Jakarta (half have already been sold) also drew
admiration and appreciation from the people of Maninjau. Her
drawings of classic West Sumatran homes capture glimpses of an
architectural style no longer being built or demolished to make
way for new development. The local people felt it was important
that someone capture and record their history.

While all the artists were inspired by the beauty of their
surroundings, photographer Jilly Blackman, whose special interest
is people, found the best material for her work in the community.

While sitting in a barber's shop one day in Maninjau, she
noticed two women in the market. One of them was carrying a bag,
filled with crockery they were planning to sell, which bore a
picture of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Although the women
had owned the bag for a long time, neither knew the identity of
its famous face.

Blackman also features beautiful photographs of local
children, a mosque and the paintings on truck mudguards. Her
reasoning for taking photographs of the latter odd subject is
that she wanted to show works of others in her own art.

Tannete Hickey's work is vibrant and colorful, and like
Hanson's, features abstract impressions of the environment and
expressions of her feelings.

"It wasn't so much about what I was seeing, but what I was
experiencing, what I sensed."

Ra Hickey, the artist's eight-month-old daughter and greatest
work yet, added to the energy and atmosphere.

The artists' interaction with one another was another
important ingredient in their creations. "When you get a group of
women together, it's the beginning of ideas, a source of support
and energy," Hanson said.

"What I gained was support," Lau agreed. "I've never worked
with other people. Suddenly, other professional people were there
to give their thoughts and inspirations. I'd do it again."

She added that the experience provided a renewal in art and
life.

"All of us felt as if we were on a threshold, that doors
opened for us, to new career paths, a connection with other
energies, moving. Emotionally and spiritually, it was a passing
of the old."