Prayers and praise by masters of calligraphy

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

The lobby of the Kebon Sirih Tower in Central Jakarta has since Monday been enveloped in repeated prayers and praise to God, reflecting the spirit of the Holy Koran as bestowed upon mankind in the month of Ramadhan.

These prayers and praises to God are not audible, but are present as calligraphy, also known as "Islamic art".

More than 41 calligraphic works are being displayed as part of an exhibition called Nuances of Calligraphy in Ramadhan 1423 H.

The artists involved are D. Sirojuddin AR, born in Kuningan, West Java, in 1957; Badrus Zaman, born in Kediri, East Java, in 1962; and Ujang Badrussalam, born in Banten in 1972. They belong to the Koran Calligraphic Institute (Lemka) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute of Islamic Studies in Jakarta.

Sirojuddin is known as an indefatigable and industrious artist in his development of calligraphic painting. A graduate of an Islamic boarding school, he used to work as a reporter and since 1983 has taught at Syarif Hidayatullah, his alma mater.

He began his career by writing Arabic calligraphy (khat) for mosques and religious books. He also has written over 20 books about calligraphy and Islam.

Apart from frequently touring the country to teach calligraphy, he is also involved in various national and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) calligraphic contests as a judge. Through Lemka in Jakarta, which was set up in 1985, and the Lemka Koran Calligraphy Islamic School, set up in 1998 in the West Java town of Sukabumi -- an institution under his leadership until now -- he regularly develops novices in calligraphy.

His name, therefore, is often placed on a par with Indonesia's greatest figures in calligraphy, such as the late Professor Sadali and Professor AD Pirous of the Bandung Institute of Technology, and the late Amang Rachman of Surabaya.

In this exhibition, it is clear that the three calligraphic painters generally explore the character school such as Naskhi, Sulus, Farisi, Diwani, Kufi and Riq'ah. However, each tries to use a different emphasis in their technique as well as in their visual interpretation of Koranic verses.

In the 16 works by Sirojuddin, for example, he uses icons that are familiar to us to make concrete the message of a verse. In his painting called Samudera Al-Fatehah (The Ocean of Al-Fatehah, 2000, mixed media), he illustrates the main verse in the form of a rock that stands strong in the ocean.

In Panji-Panji Persatuan Umat (Banners of Unity of the Faithful, 2000, oil on canvas), he paints a line of unfurled flags, each bearing the picture of a star and a moon.

In another painting, Sang Saka Negeriku Tercinta (Flag of My Beloved Country, 2002, mixed media), he makes use of the icon of the red-and-white flag, on which there is a verse from the Koran that says, "Your country is a good country and your God is All- Merciful".

Badrus Zaman, a 1987 graduate of the School of Fine Arts at the Malang Teacher Training Institute, features the verses he has chosen in colors of shade, among slabs of stones with a greenish mossy texture, spiraling shoots and colorful mosaics sometimes serving as a background, and at other times encroaching upon the bodies of the characters themselves.

The traces of his brush, gentle and soft, can generally generate the feeling of peace, although the paintings carry instructions. Look at, for example, Iqra' I and Iqra' II.

As for Ujang Badrussalam, he stresses the esthetic elements, as was the practice of AD Pirous. A winner of the Saguhati Peraduan Menulis Khat ASEAN contest in Brunei in 1997, Ujang has devoted himself to calligraphy for 10 years and is yet to set himself free from the influence of Pirous.

This influence can be seen in such works as Membelah Malam (Splitting the Night) and Taubah Nashuha. Hopefully, time and self-confidence will eventually help him find his own identity. What is already at his disposal is a very good technique that sets his art apart from most others.

It is always all right to use icons, designs, decorations and different techniques in calligraphy, as long as the meaning of the verses is not missed. In this exhibition, these three calligraphic painters show that they can control themselves in maintaining the harmony between "painting" and "calligraphy", leading us to a beautiful chanting prayer in the holy month of Ramadhan.

-- The exhibition will last until Nov. 15 in the lobby of Menara Kebon Sirih, Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 17-19, Central Jakarta.