'Non Go-Blok' exhibit places students on fine arts map
'Non Go-Blok' exhibit places students on fine arts map
By Amir Sidharta
JAKARTA (JP): While the Contemporary Art of the Non-aligned
Countries appear forcefully at Jakarta's Gedung Pameran Seni Rupa
Gallery and other established cultural venues, a modest exhibit
is quietly being staged by students of the Jakarta Arts Institute
in their Fine Arts Exhibition Hall.
The Non Go-Blok Art Exhibition, a pun on words since goblok
means stupid in Indonesian, is a kind of parody of the larger and
established exhibition popularly known as the "Non-Bloc"
exhibition.
A few days after the exhibition at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts
center in Central Jakarta opened last month, the show faced
criticism from the officials of the Institute, who felt that the
title of the show might be considered offensive, particularly by
the organizers of the established "Non-Bloc" exhibition.
Organizers of the Go-Blok exhibit, the Senate of the Faculty
of Fine Arts, claim that their show was indeed meant to be a
positive response to the "official" exhibition. They wanted a
title that was catchy and whimsical, but at the same time also
suggested the content of the exhibition.
"We are against intellectual and artistic stupidity," they
exclaimed, and that is why the show is entitled Non Go-Blok (Non-
Stupidity). The exhibitors wish to state their presence as part
of the Indonesian artistic community.
Indeed, the show displays pieces by the most talented students
of the institute. Students of the Graphic Arts and Painting
studios dominate the show, presenting the strongest work. The
content and technical solutions that the young artists have come
up with are quite interesting, although some effort may still be
necessary to really develop their artistic abilities to an
advanced level.
In Busy Patience, a mixed media piece by Nanette, photographs
of people at work and other work-related objects are made into a
chaotic collage interspersed with bold lines and blocks of color.
The most prominent image, placed in the middle toward the bottom
of the arrangement, is of a man selling all kinds of tools and
gadgets. On the upper right, a man works under a gas lantern.
Implements of a shoe shiner is in the left corner.
To some extent, the composition successfully suggests the
busyness of the workers while the photographs of the workers are
meant to portray their patience. However, it is evident that the
artist could have manipulated the images and the composition even
further to enhance the two impressions.
A series of three of a print in different colors; green,
yellow and blue, comprise Aswan Samudra's Broken Wings. This
print shows a depiction of a man quietly shedding tears. His hand
holds an object, possibly the broken wing to which the title
refers. A few insects, flying around the figure's face, are
highlighted by the use of a lighter hue.
Albeit simple, this work does convey a strong sense of
frustration, hopelessness and submission to fate. The depiction
of the busy pattern of flight of the insects, indicated by
curvilinear strokes drawn around the man's head, suggests a
disturbing noise. It is unclear if the man's emotions are due to
guilt or whether he has been victimized. However, it is obvious
that he is searching for peace of mind.
The subdued Universe by Deny Ruswanto, an exploration of
organic forms and forces, is perhaps the strongest among the
graphic art works. A central triangle contains a depiction of a
solar sphere fragmented into four sections, each a dissection of
the layers of the sphere. Circular forms are placed on the points
of the triangle, indicating the outward emission of power from
the center. Slender amorphous forms suggest movement as a result
of an eddy-like effect caused by different sources of power
around the triangle.
Using basically two complementary colors, red and green, the
composition is further harmonized. Gradually, more and more
elements are revealed to the viewer.
The paintings in the show are also indicative of the school's
strength. However, there is always room for further improvement
and development.
Husnawi's Terkapar dan Ditinggal (Scattered and Abandoned),
oil on canvas, shows scattered corpses on the lower right corner
and the feet of those abandoning them on the upper right corner.
Although a sound expressive piece, it does little to draw
emotions from the viewer. We do not feel a sense of sympathy,
grief or remorse toward the corpses. Neither do we feel the need
to condemn those who abandon them. However, a dark morbid aura
does prevail.
Dots and diagonal streaks suggesting rain, amorphous blobs
indicating puddles of water, compose Zaha Hafid's Flood. Using
black, blue, gray, and white, the artist succeeds in creating an
expressive abstraction with an economy of colors.
Perhaps the weakness of this painting is in its title, because
the painting seems to be more of a witty and fun depiction of
rain than a threatening representation of a flood.
Simon Simorangkir's The Spirit of Modernism includes elements
of Le Corbusier's architecture in a wild and explosive
composition similar to the architectural representations of Zaha
Hafid. Starting out as a two dimensional image, the painting has
grown into a three dimensional collage of painted wooden strips
and blocks. There is indeed a strong sense of spirit and of
modernism in this work.
Indra's Fishermen's Village is an expressive composition
depicting a rural setting with vibrant colors from an
unconventional perspective. The view point taken by the artist
seems to be fleeting, so that the elements in the painting seem
to have been seen from different angles. Therefore, one would
have a sense of flight when viewing the painting.
Nonetheless, there seems to be something lacking in the image,
as the rendition of the sea and element of the fishermen's world
is understressed.
Although there are many works in the Non Go-Blok exhibition
that need a considerable amount of improvement, a few have
reached a high level of sophistication. Many of the visitors
believe that some of pieces in the exhibition are stronger than
the works presented in the established "Non Block" show.
Whether it is seen from a perspective of the North, East,
West, South, or from a truly Non-Aligned view point, the
exhibition does place the students of the Jakarta Arts Institute
on the Indonesian fine arts map.