Old and new combine artist's powerfully symbolic sculpture

Old and new combine artist's powerfully symbolic sculpture

By R. Fadjri

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Hedi Hariyanto is famous for using second-
hand objects in his installation works. The objects are
integrated through simple formations -- iron ingots and pieces of
wood are among the elements in his works -- which dominate his
two installation works now on exhibit at Cemeti Gallery until
March 30.

The works of this graduate of the ISI School of Fine Arts in
Yogyakarta tend to represent constructions. Hedi, 33, is a
sculptor of the younger generation to be reckoned with. His
sculptures and installation works depart from the idea of
conflicts between natural and artificial elements, which are
realized by the use of natural materials (stones or wood) and
man-made materials (iron, plastic, polyester, or a combination of
used products). For Hedi, natural materials are a symbol of old
values, while man-made materials denote new values. The meeting
of natural and artificial materials is a symbol of the conflicts
in social life.

His work Dinner, for example, consists of a wooden dining
table measuring two meters by one meter. The table is supported
by four iron legs. On it the dinner ware is displayed together
with a variety of edibles, a pair of transparent plastic spoons
and a fork on transparent glass covered with a map of Indonesia
in the corner, a soft drink can, a bowl of water with two small
fish.

Hedi explores the table surface by letting his wild
imagination wander in non-functional forms. Iron sticks are
screwed into the table or on the table sides in the form of
handles. There are also square forms of transparent fiberglass
which carry red, blue and yellow clods, and red chilies caught in
the center of another square. It seems that he wishes to express
cynicism on monopolistic practices in certain commodities.

The largest chair is made of iron wire, reminding us of the
vanity of a powerful authority. In front of the chair a pistol is
placed with a plastic hose around it containing a blood-colored
liquid. There are three other small chairs made of wood and iron
wire that imply fragility.

All of the objects or groups of objects in this work seem to
symbolize the greediness of people enjoying the power as
reflected by the large chair. All is "gobbled down", from big
objects to the small fish in the bowl. It reminds us of
conglomerates which take everything, upstream to downstream,
while being foster fathers to children in possession of the
insignificant. In short, a dinner reflecting greed.

True to the narrative characteristic of installation art, Hedi
Hariyanto fills his work with the problems of everyday people. A
pistol, a chair, a table are symbols of power, greed and
violence. Contemporary art, which justifies the use of any
medium, has given more latitude to artists to use any language of
expression to narrow the communication gap between the artist's
ideas and the public's perception.

Here the arts is no longer indifferent to collective matters.
The artist's sensitivity is no longer limited to esthetic
phenomena, but divided into collective phenomena to be shared
with the public. It must be noted, however, that often the
symbols appearing in an installation work widen the communication
gap due to their abundance and vagueness.

In his second work The oppressor and the oppressed, Hedi hangs
ten pieces of sharpened wood as if penetrating the square objects
in the middle. There is a piece of wood full of nails, another
with transparent fiberglass containing something inside, and
still another is decorated with a planted triangular iron bar.
Although the pieces of sharpened wood give an unstable
impression, Hedi has provided a long iron bar which forms a solid
construction frame. In this work Hedi is absorbed with forms
which have a tendency to bring out esthetic elements.

Through this work Hedi wishes to convey that the little people
may be helpless but they are also capable of individual or
collective violence as a result of pressures in their
environment. The widening gap between the rich and the poor has
given rise to social envy which can lead to social unrest. The
sharpened pieces of wood can at any time thrust forward and
destroy anyone underneath. Social riots based on prejudice can
explode as soon as somebody pulls the trigger.

In his second work Hedi does not direct the public's
perception to his work through symbols, which are freer to
interpret. The flexibility of interpretation, however, can
deviate into a situation which makes the public unable to
understand the symbols. If this happens, it will be hard to
communicate the message.

Symbols are important in narrative works. Symbols which are
too distant from the public's frame of reference hardly solicit
well-defined interpretations. On the other hand, too many symbols
can lead to confusion. When the medium no longer represents a
certain message the process of communication is more difficult
through symbolic language. A symbolic language is effective if
the public is familiar with the symbols presented. With some
installation artists this obstacle is overcome by a written
explanation accompanying their works.