Supangkat wooden parody of society

By Text and photo by Chandra Johan

JAKARTA (JP): Five tigers were once licking water from a basin on the outskirts of a town. The water in the basin looked more like sewage but the five tigers seemed to enjoy it, while at the same time keeping a watchful eye on things.

At the back we can see high-rise buildings, not jungles. Why? Because they are urban tigers, and not common tigers. Perhaps they are one of us, or even we are one of them. Aren't we seeing at this moment in our modern society people who are like animals: savage and thirsty, like those tigers?

The above describes one of 15 of Supangkat Wahyudi's woodcuts which have been on display at Gallery Lontar Utan Kayu since Oct. 15 and will remain so through Oct. 28. This 240cm by 240cm woodcut is titled Musyawarah Mufakat untuk Menjilat Bersama (Deliberation for Consensus to Lick Together).

The picture is clearly a mockery of the licking "disease" prevalent in our society at the moment, particularly among those who are ambitious enough to want to grab a position or are afraid to lose their job. So, it seems they have agreed to lick together to obtain a high-ranking position, as high as the top of the high-rise buildings overshadowing the "tigers."

In this case Supangkat doesn't directly criticize the condition of the society he was observing. Almost all his works are parodies, the language often used by the young in Yogyakarta, Semarang and Solo.

In fact, in the Indonesian art world parodies are not used that frequently. Supangkat uses them much more frequently than most of his colleagues and is the only artist producing woodcuts to do so.

In parodies only two or more words are usually used, usually connecting one word with another, similar sounding one, although the meaning is different. Also, in his works, Supangkat combines two pictures or more, which look rather awkward or unnatural. The result is that one is usually only just able to catch his message.

For instance, he changed the words of RA Kartini's Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang (After Darkness Appears Light) into Habis Golf Terbitlah Tenang (After Golf Appears Calmness) in his work, picturing RA Kartini, a heroine of Indonesian women's emancipation, holding a golf club in the middle of a golf course; or the Mona Lisa with a mobile phone, Einstein with an ATM machine, Guernica Picasso's painting with beggars, and so on.

In his work Penetasan Kemiskinan (The Hatching of Poverty) we are presented with a banknote with a value of "one hundred trillion rupiah". On it the words "Bank Indonesia" are changed into Bang Indonesia (bang: brother), Perum Percetakan RI (Indonesian Money Printing Company) into Perum Percekcokan uang RI (battle for money company).

While the picture on the banknote was taken from Thodore Gericault's, "Medusa", a very famous painting of the tragedy of a broken ship, the picture as a whole becomes a parody as well as a tragedy. Perhaps Supangkat wanted to insert the message, that to hatch poverty we need money. Ironically, many "A-Bang Indonesia" who embezzled trillions of rupiah, in the end became a "squabble" and then a tragedy, as in Gericault's painting.

If in a parody we must be sharp to catch similarities in sound, in "picture parody" we must be sharp to catch signs, icons or symbols of realities in society. Signs, icons or symbols can become allegories. We can see in Supangkat's works a strong tendency toward allegory, which become the message within.

In his work Brengsek dan Berwibawa (Lousy and Respected) for example, he depicts a well-positioned human or a frog-headed official. Although authorized and sitting on a soft seat, he is still as lousy as a frog. Habis Golf Terbitlah Tenang contains an extremely strong allegorical message.

Kartini is an ideal-type, the icon or symbol of the Indonesian woman, while the golf club could be interpreted as a symbol of the "power" of man, because of his money or position. In this work we are given many opportunities to interpret to catch the messages implied.

As he admitted, the conditions of life in society at this moment have become more consumptive and materialistic and unnatural.

"When I create I take the middle line as a limit, i.e. neutrality. Outside this naturality there is awkwardness. What I paint is this awkwardness, while life needs naturalness like expressed in Javanese Urip Sakmadya which means live within your means.

This expression is simple, but hard to follow in daily life, especially at this time, but I also realize that this philosophy exists because it is needed in life.", he said a little philosophically.

Supangkat's works really mirror those values as a whole, whether in the process of making (on average he needs more than a month to accomplish one work, with some taking as long as four months), as well as in the visual appearance -- which only use plywood in black and white.

However, Supangkat's woodcuts have really made a breakthrough in the art world. A graphic artist who graduated from the Bandung Technology Institute Art School, he is not tied to the principles of graphic art.

In the graphic arts tradition a woodcut is considered finished when it is printed and exhibited on paper and not as a "master film".

Supangkat's works being exhibited are his "masters" or "films". But, because of this Supangkat's exhibition becomes very interesting and should be seen. That is the reason why on Oct. 22 he will lead a discussion titled Parody and deviation in Graphic Art Tradition at Teater Utan Kayu.