Yogyakarta's 1997 art festival a rejuvenating effort

By R. Fadjri

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The ongoing 1997 biennial art festival in Yogyakarta appears to be a departure from previous biennial art fests, at which paintings were exclusively exhibited.

This year's art biennial, running from Jan. 5 until Jan. 15, could be characterized as an integration of all arts into one impressive exhibit. Paintings are on display along with statues, graphic art and installation art. The organizing committee has even taken things a step further by introducing textiles and photography at the exhibit. All of them are presented with emphasis on creativity and innovations of the past two years.

The change reflects a basic line in the development of contemporary arts. Global art development does not separate itself from criteria which separates pure art from other art varieties. Even so, curators Sudarso, Anusapati, Dwi Maryanto, Suwarno Wisetrotomo and Tulus Warsito have carefully selected the items now on exhibit. Their choice of 50 artists was based on the assumption that the exhibited pieces reflect current art developments in the country.

The team of curators seemed to focus on these rejuvenating aspects, rather than the quality of the artwork.

It is therefore not surprising to find a painting by Iswanto, who once displayed an impressionist style, and Syahrizal, a sculptor known for his figurative style, among this special selection of art, in spite of the questionable quality of their works.

Then there is Widayat, a senior painter who is renowned for his decorative style. At this art fest, his abstract piece called Merapi Meletus (Merapi explodes) is on display. It is in the style which has become his trademark.

An abstract piece by Bagong Kussudiardjo, another senior painter, is also on display.

Generally, a majority of the artwork featured at the art fest displayed only mild aspects of renewal. The curator team's selections resembled more an exhibit of young artists who deserve awards for outstanding artwork and for regularly exhibiting their works over the last two years. The artwork may have been chosen for its originality and independent style, which goes against present market trends.

Among the artwork on display are those by young artists Entang Wiharso, Erica Hestu Wahyuni and Bambang Pramudiyanto, whose works are steeped in the "variety" art trend. Another young artist is Ugo Untoro, whose paintings aren't in sync with market conditions.

In the field of graphic art, Agung Kurniawan's name drew attention because of the sociopolitical themes in his etch work.

All of the above are young artists who created their own styles once they turned professional.

What sets them apart from other artists is their mode of improvising a style that has been around for some time. For example, there is Erica, who developed a naive flair which Eddy Hara or Heri Dono started before. Bambang Pramudiyanto adopted the surrealistic style handed down by his predecessor, Dede Eri Supria.

Five sculptors participating in the biennial event have failed to come up with renewal aspects. The same could be said about the installation art. This art type stood out for its persevering quality, which was obvious in the work.

Nindityo Adipurnomo is still using the same symbol which he applied in the late 1980s. Hedi Hariyanto is still featuring the symbol of industrial production in his artwork known as Flavour. The work is a jab at the greed of the tycoons who are monopolizing the entire industrial scene.

Heri Dono's critical style, which reflects the current social situation, is presented in a strong, playful mood. There is also work by S. Teddy D, a new installation artist of the present generation.

However, what is admiring about these artists is the courage with which they chose to express themselves, using a medium that does not sell well. Even so, there are some who have caught the public's attention, like Melle Jaarsma, whose work in this art medium explores images under the title Think It Or Not.

As for the committee, their decision to display textiles and photography at the art fest was encouraging.

"The entire art show reflected fine art qualities," said Sudarso, one of the curators. This team appeared to have been quite selective in its choice of textile arts, and photographic works could be observed from the work of Linda Kaun, a batik artist from Los Angeles, and Agus Leonardus, an art photographer.

Linda Kaun's batik piece is a careful exploration effort of realistic images. Agus Leonardus separated certain realities in frames, thereby obscuring the object's identity.

However, whatever the results of the art show, the curator team has encouraged the development of the various arts, which are no longer divided into confining categories that hinder artistic expression.