Painting exhibition explores 'zaman edan'

Painting exhibition explores 'zaman edan'

Slamet Susanto, Contributor, Yogyakarta

In the 19th century, Javanese author Ronggowarsito wrote in
Jayabaya, an ancient Javanese chronicle, about zaman edan, which
literally means "mad times."

It was a time when everything was chaotic -- evil was rewarded
and good was punished -- and those who did not join the club
would be left behind.

It seems that the country is now experiencing such mad times.

Politicians are fighting with each other in the pursuit of
power. Political parties and presidential candidates are making
every effort to win the election at any cost. Billions of rupiah
have been allocated for their campaigns. The public has become
confused about the choice because all of the candidates claim to
be the best.

During this time of upheaval, Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta
cultural center has introduced a new "political party," called
the Skeleton Republic Party. Its presidential candidate is
Sumanto, a cannibal from Purbalingga, Central Java, who made the
headlines after he was found to have eaten part of a corpse.

The party has been "set up" by Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta to
highlight its painting exhibition, titled Mad Times in
celebration of its 21st anniversary, which fell on Friday, Sept.
26. The exhibition, which continues until Monday, Sept. 29,
features 23 pieces created by several noted artists, including
Djoko Pekik, GM Sudarta and Popok Tri Wahyudi.

"We don't intend to insult or discredit Sumanto, but he is a
reflection of the state of our country today. People "eat" each
other in a broader sense -- exploitation and extortion occur all
the time. People simply become objects and are like scattered
bones," scholar Sindhunata said.

The establishment of the Skeleton Republic Party with a symbol
of bones, rice grains and cotton, is to mock politicians who care
only about power but neglect the people. Its motto is, "Be united
in choosing the wrong path," which seems to satirize the slogan
of the former ruling party, Golkar, with its motto, "Be united in
progress, go ahead bravely to choose the right path."

Djoko Pekik describes mad times in his work titled Bencana
Lintang Kemukus 1965 (Disaster of the 1965 Comet). In October
1965, according to the painter, a comet was seen in the sky for a
whole month and it became an omen for a calamity. This was proven
subsequently with the death of many people following the abortive
coup d'etat, attributed by many to the now-defunct Indonesian
Communist Party. The nation's founding father, Sukarno, later
died and his successor, Soeharto, ruled the country for over 30
years.

In his painting, Djoko described a line of trucks loaded with
people heading to a mass grave for execution. There were also
dozens of blindfolded men who were ready to be put to death.

"Such massacres occurred everywhere, in Solo (Surakarta) and
Sragen, Central Java, and also in East Java. From 1965 to the
present, the situation has continued endlessly. Bombings,
subversion and other cruelty have occurred again and again," he
said.

Another artist has questioned why people are not ashamed of
killing each other, like the military who proudly claim to have
killed many members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the
nation's westernmost province. This was highlighted by Harry
Wahyu in his work titled Ibu Pertiwi Menangis (The Motherland is
Crying).

"In my painting, I show that the Motherland is crying because
her children are born, only to be brutally killed," he explained.

In his work Muda Sosialis, Tua Kapitalis (Young Socialist, Old
Capitalist), Popok Tri Wahyudi tells about young people who are
critical of government policies, but once they are in power, they
turn into oppressive capitalists.

During the opening of the exhibition on Sept. 19, the audience
was entertained by musician Jaduk Ferdianto of Laras Jiwo, a
number of comedians, as well as a parody group from Gajah Mada
University, Produk Gagal (Failed Products).

Mad Times
Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta
Sept. 26 - Sept. 29