Young artists dig deep in artistic quest
By Asip A. Hasani
YOGYAKARTA (JP): In its strict definition, a hole is merely empty space which is adhered to by a boundary or border.
But it can also be a space to explore, to test the boundaries and enter a dark labyrinth of the unknown. It holds many possibilities, both dark (the proverbial "black hole"), or ones full of opportunities.
Hole also is the title of a multimedia performance and exhibition by young modern artists from Geber Modus Operandi at Yogyakarta Cemeti Art House until March 30.
The performance consists of a large arena in a half circle, lamps and messages in English on the wall, plus a set of lighting equipment.
The hole is the inspiration as well as the object of exploration of Geber's work; in the performance, the hole is transformed into a funnel of light which two male artists explore.
One actor is in an arched iron enclosure, hugging an iron ball containing a light. He moves here and there in the enclosure, but his focus remains on the light in the iron ball as though he is intent on swallowing it.
At the same time, at the other end of the space, the other actor tries to catch light from a flashlight. He jumps forward and backward, to run after and catch the light, only to find the effort fruitless.
Realizing that his hunt for the light is likely to be endless, the actor stops trying but moves in slow motion. He watches the light and whispers, "Where is my head, where is my heart, where is my head, where is my soul?"
The 35-minute play ends with the actor's scream, "I!" "Become!" "I am!" "Becoming!"
The performance is directed by young Bandung artist Amrizal, a former art director and one of the founders of Teater Jagung Indonesia at Bandung's Pasundan University (Unpas). The two actors are Ari Wayang from Yogyakarta University's Teater Unstrat and Asep Cepot from Unpas' Teater Jagung Indonesia.
"We chose multimedia art because we can explore every possibility of a certain idea through some objects," Amrizal told The Jakarta Post. "And the fact that we have our own ability in art and we combine these different ways of expressing ideas."
The artistic design is by young artist Sigit Pius Kuncoro, who is also a modern painter. Sigit is a former student of the Institute of Indonesian Art, Yogyakarta, as are Wildan Antarez and Bintang Hanggono, who are the sound and computer operator and graphic designer respectively.
Hole is the fourth work of Geber Modus Operandi since the group was founded in 1998. All of the group's works are in the form of multimedia art.
Geber's most phenomenal work was Mystical Machine Made in Indonesia, which was performed in Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta in 2000.
As in Mystical Machine Made in Indonesia, Geber tries to send a message through Hole to the country's young generation, who are searching for their identity amid a strong wave of modernity and economic hardship during a prolonged multidimensional crisis.
"Hole symbolizes anything through which people can see the world outside boundaries, but we want to emphasize the existence of the boundary to which a hole is adhered. We want to say that here is the world of possibilities and, at the same time, boundaries," said Sigit, who created the work's original script.
Hole will also be performed and exhibited in Surakarta in April and Bandung in May.