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.