Women artists in pursuit of Kartini's spirit

Women artists in pursuit of Kartini's spirit

By Carla Bianpoen

JAKARTA (JP): Since the Nairobi Conference and the signing of the Forward-Looking Strategies by over 150 countries 10 years ago, the role of women in the development of their nations has been launched as part of a strategy for sustainable development. Government policies speak of equal partnership with men, and donors of development projects are trying to highlight this partnership in the implementation of donor-supported projects.

For Indonesian women, their roles in development and their unequal status as compared to men were taken up long before the international community made it an issue. Raden Adjeng Kartini, in the 19th century, rose up against what she felt was an injustice against women at that time. She did so by asking many questions, requesting further education for herself and her sisters and by writing many letters. Although Kartini was in the end unable to pursue her aspirations, her letters, published after her death at the age of 25, reveal that her concerns and needs of over a hundred years ago did not differ from those of women today.

Often considered a troublemaker who wanted more than what was traditionally proper for a woman, Kartini's correspondence with her friends indicates the wide range of her thinking. It encompassed themes and issues relevant to philosophical, political and socio-cultural conceptual strategies of today.

Kartini has been declared a national heroine by a government decree, and Kartini Day on April 21 is observed throughout Indonesia.

One of the activities in observance of Kartini Day this year is an exhibition of nine women artists at the Cemara-6 Gallery, Jl. Cemara 6, Menteng, Central Jakarta. Entitled Pameran Seni Rupa dengan Semangat Kartini 1995, or "Art Exhibition in the Spirit of Kartini", the exhibition will be opened by the Minister for Women's Roles today. It will run until April 30.

The majority of participants in this exhibition are artists known for their longstanding involvement as professionals in painting or sculpting and who have participated in national and international exhibitions.

The artists

Kartika, the most senior of the participants, presents paintings depicting her impressions during a visit to China, and her fondness for an old woman in Yogyakarta named Apoh. Kartini reveals that she likes to paint old women, for their wrinkled faces are the stories of their lives. Apoh, a Yogyakarta woman, is 93 years old, but in spite of her old age, she insists on doing everything herself, including preparing her own meals. It is the strength and willpower of such women that impress Kartika, who herself fought a long struggle before she could profess her own creative aspirations. Working with her fingers instead of the brush, Kartika's emotions are a tangible aspect of her paintings.

Nunung W.S. belongs to the few women artists who have succeeded in carving out a creative life right from the start. Putting her artistic career before everything else, Nunung is considered an accomplished painter whose works are reflections of inner experiences expressed in color. The works presented in this exhibition reveal some stages in her life. Menuju Jingga ("Towards Purple") is vivid, with several colors mixing against a dominating red-orange, while the other two paintings have a more meditative bearing. Nunung reveals that touring local museums, and intensely absorbing the colors of her traditional heritage, she has been inspired by the roots of her existence. Nunung's recent works contain subdued hues which invite one to sense the mysterious dimensions of life and the relation to the Omnipotent. Large canvases with only one or two colors dominating, subtle lines to indicate direction, and a brim in another color to give depth, these are the features characteristic of Nunung's works.

Dolorosa Sinaga comes with sculptures depicting ballerinas. For some time, Dolo has been obsessed with the grace with which ballerinas present their underlying strength. Likening this to women who hold an abominable strength behind a soft and gracious appearance, Dolorosa presents sculptures of traditional dancers. Inspired by the traditions of Javanese philosophical thought, the modified movements in the sculptured dancers reveal her statement that women should be innovative in changing their lives to pursue their aspirations.

"Sculpting is an act of tension," says Dolo.

It may also be a way of working off the tensions she faces in real life. Known for her social concern and her views on the advancement of women artists, many of Dolo's works are reflections of issues she is unable to find solutions for, situations she often calls "hopeless." But time and again, her works also reflect her inner strength. Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty at the Jakarta Institute of Arts, and a teacher at the same institution, she continues to be actively involved in her profession as a sculptor.

Lucia Hartini's paintings are particularly imaginative. Her vast canvases, painted in a style which some call surrealistic, are depictions of another world. Mostly they provoke a sense of yearning, a view of a "better world". In fact, Lucia often draws on feelings of agony and anger which she transforms into panoramas of peace and tranquility. The paintings in this exhibition depict such situations.

Farida Srihadi, who had to struggle hard in the early years of her painting career, has succeeded in obtaining a respected place in the world of art. Participating in most of the national and international exhibitions, her paintings mostly depict the splendor of nature. Recently, however, her works evoke a sense of the beyond. Farida's concern with issues of gender equality, as expressed in her installation of Dream Carriers at TIM last month, are not detectable in the paintings presented in this exhibition.

Yanuar Ernawati, whom some experts consider a rising star, comes with two works which are remarkable because of the material she uses and the visions of a young woman. Combining painting on triplex and paper, she achieves an augmented effect of depth. Mengarungi Kehidupan depicts a mermaid with only the upper half of her body coming out of the sea, grasping the moon in her arms. It may be a reflection of the realities of women today, going for personal aspirations and yet unable to re-interpret the rules of their traditional upbringing.

Erna Garnasih Pirous likes to paint the changing scenery and nature in West Java. Inspired by traditional weaving and the lines drawn by the threads of textile, Erna's paintings of West Java landscapes are like a tapestry of colors.

Ida Hadjar's paintings have a peculiar touch, which some people may find particularly special. Painting in the same way as before, and allowing no variation in color combinations, the figures in her works are like carved sculptures who all have sad, melancholy expressions.

Linda Kaun's works are paintings and craft carried out with the technique used in batik. Using pictures like those in old- fashioned western story books, her works do not seem to fit in this exhibition.