Yani Mariani and Awan Simatupang: Trendsetters in the art of modern sculpture

Yani Mariani and Awan Simatupang: Trendsetters in the art of modern sculpture

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor/Jakarta

The art of sculpture as we used to know it, from the classical
eras, may continue to find a place in our times, yet a growing
tendency to change is evident among the younger generation of
sculptors.

This is particularly highlighted in an extraordinary
exhibition currently on show at Edwin's Gallery here. Despite
their age difference, Yani Mariani Sastranegara, 49, and Awan
Simatupang, 37, share the same views when it comes to exploring
wider spaces and new ways of perceiving their sculptural
inventions.

Yani Mariani, who had long pondered the issue of gravity in
her own sculptures, took a big step in 2002 using the ceiling as
the "base" instead of the ground. The limit of growth, or Endless
as her series of stirring installations are titled, is an issue
she is still grappling with, although she has come to understand
that growth, or life for that matter, naturally must end before
new life sprouts up. This is a lesson from nature, wherein she
used to roam in her younger days and where she discovered the
reality about growth and decay as natural phenomena occurring
without much ado, and followed by fresh new sprouts as an equally
logical sequence.

Her singular sculptures, which used to make her feel
uncomfortable because of the gravity issue, have now found a new
dynamism. No longer are they just images on a statue, where
growing upward is hampered. Rather, they seem to fly and swing in
space, albeit now supported by a piece of natural stone.

Using pewter, natural and electroplated, in combination with
stones she has found, gives her sculptures that wonderful
fluidity between traditional and contemporary, exacerbated by the
lines forming the figure in pewter that follow the texture of the
dark stone. What is more, these feminine figures take the
appearance of elves, who cast their magical powers over the
environment in which they inhabit.

As Yani Mariani proceeds on her path of excellence, it seems
her creativity is becoming more telling, as is her sensitivity to
natural forces. The sculpture Torn Between Two Lovers, for
instance, shows how the energy of two different rocks springs up
and meets in dazzling unity in pewter.

Awan Simatupang whose elegant sculptures used to excite fans
of such genre, in this exhibition comes out with pieces that
feature simple, straight lines. No longer are his figures elegant
fashion model types, rather they are tragic and so skinny that
they appear to be anorexic, slumping on the massive edifices made
of bronze or stainless steel.

These sad waif-like figures are meant to mirror a society
where the average person ends up being the victims of politicians
and their bickering. In them, Simatupang displays the fall of the
house of refuge and love in human life. Yet, with all his might
he endeavors to keep it steady, even if they are on the verge of
breaking down, as we see in Whatever, 2004, (82cm by 22cm by
30cm), a house in bronze that seems to be swept by such extreme
winds that its front has become transformed into bare dry
branches. It is symbolic of the artist's concern with a depleting
urban environment, where trees are pillaged to make way for all
the shopping malls.

Some of the sculptures seem to refer to the many cases of
violence, in which justice was never done.

That personal dramas are part of life is evident in Do where a
figure tries in vain to hold up a collapsing house.

The bulging tummy of a woman in life-size bronze (50cm by 44cm
by 15cm), however, indicates the coming birth of new life,
denoting some optimistic outlook for the future. Ada Untukmu I
and II, bronze, leaves the subtle mark of the hand on the tummy
signaling a light in the otherwise dark tunnel of apprehension.

A collaborative installation shows Awan's magnified bird nests
made of leaves hanging from the ceiling while a projector sheds
light on clouds cruising past Yani Mariani's stones suggestively
in the sky, but in fact laid on the floor.

For Awan, whose creations are usually floor-based, the view
from "above" is quite a sensation, while for Yani Mariani, the
clouds have always had a place in her dreamscapes.

Two Sides, a sculpture exhibition by Awan P. Simatupang and Yani
Mariani Sastranegara, Edwin's Gallery, Jl. Kemang Raya 21, South
Jakarta, until Dec. 12, 2004