Stimulating public discourse through art

Stimulating public discourse through art

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): An exhibition of the work of five artists, Amrus
Natalsya, Salim M., Sulan, Tomy Faisal Alim, and Firman is
currently being held at the Japan Foundation. This group of five
artists appear to take their work very seriously, if its quality
and the diligence with which they have developed their own
artistic discourse are anything to go by.

These artists have been present at many exhibitions throughout
the past two or three years. They are usually the first to arrive
and the last to leave, and always take the opportunity to
carefully inspect and discuss the merits of works on show.

Unfortunately, this group of artists have not yet been taken
seriously by Indonesia's leading art critics. They have been
marginalized by what is called the "progressive" development of
art in Indonesia, and a lack of communication and understanding
between the artists and curators has done little to help this
situation.

A few months ago, lecturer in art philosophy and leading
critic Tommy F. Awuy raised a question regarding art within the
control of authority. What he questioned did not only concern
political or governmental authority -- he also questioned the
control and authority of art curators.

In this new age of openness, interpretation should no longer
be the monopoly of curators. Curators have done little to promote
understanding of artists and their work among the general public.
Far too often we hear: "I don't know, I don't understand," as the
man-on-the-street wanders round an exhibition or is asked to
comment on the works on show.

Indeed, curators have often been more successful in hindering
the understanding of art among the general public and repelling
popular interest through their self-indulgent, over-intellectual,
esoteric discourses.

More avenues of communication need to be opened between
artists and the general public. All should feel free to interpret
art in their own way. Perhaps Amrus Natalsya's poem, written for
Indonesia's 50th anniversary in 1995, is the most simple yet
fitting means with which to convey this point.

I think, painting is good work

It can also be highly honorable

It can also bring out our stupidity

It can also make us contemplate

Think and become the mirror of anyone

People say: painting is work from the heart

It can be hot or cold

I say: the heart must be free

from there art originates

Heart and freedom

Without a free heart

How can there be a feeling of love,

Sorrow and beauty

The best thing

That free heart

Makes other hearts also free

That is art

Certainly, each work of art would affect observers in
different ways. We all might wonder what the teapot, dagger and
flower which recur in Tomy's paintings are meant to symbolize, or
question whether or not Sulan's depiction of ruins relates to the
recent riots. Others might identify Firman's mandala-like
Kammaloka with their own contemplations.

Salim's black and white piece, anak-anak Jaman Sabak, is
particularly interesting given the recent events in the country.

It depicts three boys standing in a classroom with marked
faces. The elaborate background is filled with various
expressions in the Indonesian language which offer moral
reminders of how we should lead our lives.

Initially the painting looks somehow related to the fall of
the New Order government. Among the inscriptions, there is the
lyrics of the famous Indonesian song, Sorak-sorak Bergembira
("Chant, chant in Joy"), jokingly associated with the recent
change in president.

Yet the painter claims he wanted to remind us of the time
immediately after Indonesia gained independence in 1945. He
wanted to show the state of education during the early years of
the Republic, a period known as jaman sabak (blackboard period).

In those days, children worked on their own personal slate
blackboards called batu sabak and would get their marks written
directly onto their cheeks.

That is why the boys in the painting have those strange marks
on their faces.

Salim said he was reminded of this period when he heard a
reporter ask the Minister of Education and Culture whether we
would need to return to the jaman sabak to overcome the effect
which the crisis has had on education here.

In those days education was provided free of charge and school
children were even provided books and equipment.

To be sure, the painter did not intend his work to merely
reflect that long ago period. Although the painting seems to be
focused on the three boys, it is obvious that Salim actually
wanted to question why we failed to follow the expressions that
are so familiar to us and have existed since even before the days
of jaman sabak.

There is no doubt that there is something very wrong in our
society and also in our education system.

The exhibition clearly brings to mind a new spirit of ethnic
diversity. Raising the issue of ethnicity is no longer taboo and
instead seems to be very necessary.

On such work which treads these fraught paths is a painting by
Amrus called Jakarta Kelabu (Gloom over Jakarta), which clearly
refers to the riots of May 13-15 1998.

Amrus was born in Medan, North Sumatra, to Minang (the West
Sumatra ethnic group) parents; Salim M. is Javanese and was born
in Kroya, Central Java; Sulan is a Chinese-Indonesian woman from
Jakarta; Tomy Faisal Alim traces his ancestors back to Palembang,
South Sumatra; and Firman is a Chinese-Indonesian man hailing
from Jambi.

The different ethnic backgrounds of the artists perhaps
provides them with the inspiration to tackle the issue and it can
only be hoped that this exhibition will help to foster better
mutual understanding between different ethnic groups in the
country.

In a recent seminar, film maker Garin Nugroho stressed how
important it is for Indonesia to build a communicative society.
In the arts, it is through exhibitions that such efforts can
start. Hopefully it will not only result in a communicative
society, but also a society that is aware of the art that exists
around them.

It is unfortunate that the need for an increase in open
communication has appeared when we are experiencing a deep and
prolonged economic crisis. But the crisis did not stop this group
of artists. Although they know that they have been marginalized
by some curators, and despite the weakness of the art market,
this group is standing firm and taken the bold step to exhibit
their works.

Fortunately the Japan Foundation is still willing and able to
provide the artists with the opportunity to stage their show.
This deserves commendation because Japan too is on shaky economic
ground. Hopefully other institutions will follow their lead and
provide other artists with the opportunity to display their works
to the public.

In this time of crisis, artists can no longer rely upon the
sale of paintings as their motivation to exhibit. During the art
boom, which ended toward the end of 1997, exhibitions were mostly
held to market and sell works of art.

Today, exhibitions can once again become events where artists
present their works to the public and hope in return to receive
an intellectual responses from them, allowing a true art
discourse to once again flourish.