'Warna Trotoar' -- colors of urban community
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Suwito, 42, blinked his eyes after the Jakarta deputy governor Fauzi Bowo officially opened "Warna Trotoar" (Sidewalk Color), a painting exhibition by Jakarta sidewalk painters on Sunday evening.
When I met him on Tuesday at the exhibition venue, Galeri Cipta II in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center complex, he still expressed his disbelief.
"This is a dream come true. We are very proud of this exhibition. Thank to the Jakarta administration," he said.
For most of the sidewalk painters, this is not their first painting exhibition. However, the exhibition at the Taman Ismail Marzuki is their first experience.
This new experience will likely pave a way for these marginalized artists to enter mainstream of the Indonesian art community.
Suwito, who uses S. Wito as his commercial name, is one of 60 painters participating in the exhibition. He and his fellow painters are known as "pelukis pinggir jalan" (sidewalk painters) because they earn money painting sidewalks next to the Jakarta Art Hall in Pasar Baru.
Life as a sidewalk painter, however, is not easy.
They have to adapt with the scorching light, the dust, the traffic pollution and the rain -- not to mention the angry faces of the Jakarta administration's security and order guards who often instruct them to "clean up" the sidewalk for pedestrians.
Despite all these unfavorable conditions, their creations are no less tasteful than those of painters who create pictures from a serene and fully air conditioned room.
Look at the picture of Menghajar Da Vinci (Assault on Da Vinci) by Hudi Alfa.
The picture of Monalisa is almost identical with that of Leonardo Da Vinci, except she is made out of its frame. Meanwhile, a kris (Javanese dagger) tears apart the canvas.
Hudi said that the inspiration to create the painting comes from his admiration of Da Vinci.
"This painting shows that any attempt to tear apart Mona Lisa will be fruitless, because Mona Lisa will always exist. The painting is immortal," he said.
Many of the paintings present an artistic sense of high quality, but some others fail to show any artistic taste at all.
Wito, who is coordinator of the sidewalk artists, portrayed people's hope for better conditions through Merajut Harapan (Weaving Hope).
The painting shows six frames, featuring pictures of people crying -- from an infant to an old person.
At the end of the frames, an elementary school student gazes to the horizon, trying to look at the sunrise -- the symbol of people's hope.
Some painters also feature portraits of public figures, including American movie star Clint Eastwood, singer Reza, body builder Ade Ray, Bunda Theresa (Mother Theresa), Muslim cleric Aa Gym, national hero General Sudirman, founding president Sukarno and his successors.
The figure of Nobel laureate Albert Einstein and Iran leader Ayatollah Khomeini also become objects for the painter.
Some painters also portray the life of common people through their paintings.
Dol Tinuku/Pasar (Market) by Eko Bhandoyo portrays activities in a market while Menyusui Anak (Breastfeeding a Child) by Fathul Muin tells the natural expression of a mother breastfeeding her infant.
For visitors, the painting exhibition probably gives nothing new, but for the sidewalk painters it is a recognition of their existence in the art community.
As Catholic scholar Mudji Sutrisno has said, a metropolis does not grow from shopping malls or modern buildings, but also from the numerous sidewalks in the city. We hope this painting exhibition will become a starting point for further appreciation of many other sidewalk arts.
Warna Trotoar painting exhibition Galeri Cipta II, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta May 8 through May 19