Rise and fall of Russian communism on show in Jakarta

Rise and fall of Russian communism on show in Jakarta

Evi Mariani
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin has two faces in the Russian poster
exhibition at Galeri Lontar in Jakarta.

One depicts him in glorious style, the other is mocking and
depicts him against a background that shows a Coca Cola logo next
to a tiny hammer and sickle.

Posters with Lenin's image on them are only a few of the more
than 100 Russian posters on exhibition from Dec. 6, 2005, to Jan.
15, 2006, at Galeri Lontar, Jl. Utan Kayu No. 68H, East Jakarta.

The interesting posters are part of the collection of
Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, Susanto Pudjomartono, who has
collected more than 200 Russian posters since been appointed
ambassador in January 2004.

Curated by Lontar's Asikin Hasan, the posters in the
exhibition mostly come from the Soviet Union, when socialist
realism reigned in the arts.

Looking at the posters, it is obvious why the poster medium
played an important role in communist Russia.

Each of the posters has the power to move people. Mother with
strong and determined face heeding the call to defend the nation,
the optimistic yet tough faces of workers, and the strong and
charismatic faces of leaders like Stalin and Lenin.

In the catalog, Susanto writes that by analyzing the posters, one
can learn of the changes that took place in the country, from the
October 1917 revolution until the fall of Soviet Union in 1991.

Unfortunately, the exhibition fails to provide adequate
information to patrons about these changes.

All that is provided is a translation of the Russian text in
the posters, but not the context nor even the year.

This is probably due to the fact that Susanto bought some of
the posters from markets and gift shops. It would, of course, be
difficult to expect the vendors to also provide the comprehensive
history of the posters.

However, Susanto and the curator manage to provide some
background information on a few of the posters.

The posters are also nicely arranged in sections, like the
labor section, war section and advertising section.

There is a section comprising five posters on hardboard that
obviously come from the post-Soviet era. The posters present
parodies of communist symbols side by side with capitalist
symbols like the Adidas, McDonalds, and Coca-Cola logos.

Susanto writes in the catalog that such parodies,
printed on paper, T-shirts and other media, are popular among
tourists visiting Moscow.

Besides the changes that have taken place in Russia, one can
also learn about the Russian people, including their habit of
drinking until drunk.

This habit was deemed to be undermining communist
productivity, and poster campaigns were launched to counter it.

The exhibition displays at least four posters campaigning
against drunkenness.

One of the posters depicts a crying little boy and a right
hand holding a wine glass. The text reads: Papa, don't get drunk.

The fight against drinking at work was an interminable one.
Another poster shows a male face with a red nose and hands
pouring a liquor from a bottle into a small glass, while below
the man is the image of a submerged factory in smaller relief.

The text reads: What's in this small glass could drown a large
factory. From the workers and masses to a nation of drunks!
(Drinking while working is forbidden, it can get you fired).

Much information can be gleaned about Russia from this
interesting exhibition, and it is a wonderful change from the
"bourgeois" arts exhibitions that so prominently feature in
galleries and festivals in Jakarta.