Surviving 'red' artists Soeromo, Djoko Pekik still active

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.