Surviving 'red' artists Soeromo, Djoko Pekik still active
By Ahmad Solikhan
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Lekra (the People's Cultural Institute) was founded in 1954 by Yobar Ayub and was disbanded by the New Order regime in 1965 on suspicion of collaboration with communist leaders from China and East Germany.
Its activists and members were jailed without trial. They endured untold physical and psychological torments, which continued long after they were eventually released.
For 32 years of the New Order administration, they did not dare to criticize the government through their artworks. Many opted to shift profession for their own safety.
Many of them died from old age before being able to express themselves freely after the New Order despot, Soeharto, fell from grace last year. The number of surviving Lekra artists is fast dwindling and the whereabouts of many of them is unknown.
Yogyakarta is home to two prominent surviving Lekra artists, Djoko Pekik and Soeromo Darposawega. Both painters, they were imprisoned in the Soeharto era and freed before he fell from power.
Since his release from jail, Pekik has successfully continued his profession as a painter. His works have been highly popular with both local and foreign art collectors.
Soeromo is also still active in the art world. Besides painting, he also makes pottery, reliefs and wood etchings.
They began speaking their mind when they saw that Soeharto's downfall was only a matter of time. They attacked the New Order government in an unusually vivid way.
To express his disgust of the New Order regime Pekik portrayed it as a swine, a symbol of crime and treachery in Javanese culture. He exhibited his works in Yogyakarta last year, while Soeromo, a father of nine, is planning to show his works in Jakarta.
Soeromo will celebrate his 80th birthday on Oct. 9 and, on the same day, the 50th anniversary of his marriage to his wife, Siti Roehirin, 66. He intends to celebrate both occasions by holding an art exhibition on the opening day of his new gallery. The exhibition is entitled Nuansa Dasa Windu (Nuances of an 80th Birthday).
It will feature 38 oil on canvas works and 55 wood etchings created between 1998 and 1999. The works are about daily life, the environment, culture and social events during both the Old and the New Order regimes.
Among the paintings in the exhibition is a 101cm by 68cm cubical oil on canvas entitled Reformasi 98 (Reformation 98). It concerns the student demonstrations against the military which happened in 1998.
Another piece titled Tulang 1989 (Bone 1989) is 84cm by 54cm and portrays a horrifying day in the Old Order era. It features five people squatting on the banks of Elo river in Borobudur, Central Java who are horrified to see human skeletal remains floating before them.
He uses images of crows and tigers in his wood etchings to symbolize people who enjoy killing others.
His favorite work which will be displayed is a 150cm by 93cm oil on canvas entitled Bumi 91 (Earth 91). Its theme is the environment. It features a group of people climbing a mountain to enjoy peace. Above them are birds enjoying their newfound freedom. The Javanese inscriptions on the painting contains messages on conservation.
Soeromo says he has more than 100 sketches dating from the 50s he cannot exhibit due to financial constraints. He describes these sketches as "more valuable" than his later works.
It is obvious from his later works that despite his old age Soeromo, a former dean at Yogyakarta's Indonesian Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI), has retained his refined etching and painting skills.
His paintings and etchings have enjoyed international acclaim. His etchings entitled Penjual Bakiak 1955 (Clog Seller 1955) and Gerilya 1955 (Guerrilla 1955) are now part of a collection in an East Germany museum in Berlin. Soeromo gave these works for free, believing that having Indonesian paintings abroad would help encourage Indonesian artists to improve their professionalism.
Soeromo says his love of wood etching was inspired by a rubber stamp. He recalled he started by making a sketch on a piece of wood and then etching it out. He then applied ink onto the surface and stamped it on a piece of paper.
"I created my first wood etching in 1952 and called it Tukang Blandong 1952 (Wood Cutter 1952)," he recalled.
Soeromo began his painting career in 1936 learning from a naturalist guru, Pringadi. He used to be active in various artist organizations, such as the Association of Indonesian Painters (Persagi) and the Association of Young Indonesian Artists (SIM).
Soeromo is also a talented sculptor. Among his monumental works are a gate on the border of Yogyakarta and Prambanan, a statue of a Garuda at Yogyakarta's Adi Sucipto Airport and a mosaic at a Pelabuhan Ratu hotel in Sukabumi, West Java.
Soeromo remains loyal to his old style. He considers esthetics more important than other concepts like social criticism. From this we can note that the artist remains steadfast in his principles, despite the changing times.