Supangkat wooden parody of society

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.