Raden Saleh’s masterpieces on display at National Gallery

Over 40 paintings and drawings by Raden Saleh, the colorful artist often referred to as the “father of Indonesian modernity” will be displayed in the National Gallery, Jakarta, starting this Sunday amid allegations of widespread forgery of the works of several Indonesian masters.

According to the exhibition’s statement, the exhibition is the first ever monographic display of Raden Saleh’s work in Indonesia. 

The artist was born in Semarang, C. Java, in 1811, when Indonesia was still a colony of the Dutch. He traveled to Europe when he was around 18 years old and spent over 20 years there, training as a painter. 

“There was no other painter in the colony — European or Javanese — who was [Raden Saleh]’s equal. 

He was largely responsible for broad segments of the Javanese elite discovering, during the second half of the 19th-century, that realistic painting … could constitute an aesthetic pleasure. These first small steps marked the start of Indonesian art’s journey towards the vibrant scene it has become today,” Curator Werner Kraus says in his exhibition notes. 

Raden Saleh’s paintings comprise portraits, scenes involving animals, especially lions, and landscapes. One of his famous paintings, depicting the capture of national hero Pangeran Diponegoro, is said to contain hidden nationalistic symbolism. 

The master’s reputation extends beyond that of an acclaimed painter. He was also known as an architect, a landscape gardener and a collector of ethnographic and archaeological documents. 

He was known for his idiosyncratic and somewhat flamboyant fashion style as well, as he was said to design his own costumes, which combined various styles including Javanese and European. Thus, he is sometimes dubbed as Indonesia’s “first fashion designer”.

Despite the substantial time he spent in Europe, Raden Saleh was said to have remained loyal to his roots. He returned to Indonesia —or the Netherlands East Indies as it was known then — and was said to have tried to introduce modernity to various cultural and scientific aspects. However, he became disenchanted with the treatment he received from the colonial powers in his homeland. 

The exhibition, titled “Raden Saleh and the Beginning of Modern Indonesian Painting” is scheduled to run until June 17, and will feature, apart from the original drawings and paintings, the reproduction of works that cannot be brought to Indonesia. 

It will include various events such as a wayang performance on the opening day, a fashion show in which local fashion designers have been invited to participate in a competition with Raden Saleh as its inspiration, and an essay competition, which calls for essays highlighting the artist’s personal and artistic achievements. 

The fashion show is scheduled on June 9 and a discussion about Raden Saleh is scheduled to be held a week later.

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Adventures in the domestic sphere

The domestic realm can be both a labyrinth and treasure chest, although it is at times seen as second best to the outside, which is seen as foreign, exciting and full of lure.

Take for example the emotions and associations that the words “home” or “family” conjure. Even a single object such as an old radio set or a teacup can open the door to hours of nostalgic discussion.

A group of artists took up the challenge of presenting the domestic realm through the medium of visual art in an exhibition entitled “Domestic Stuff”, which is running in Salihara until this Sunday.

Netherlands-born artist Mella Jaarsma, who has been residing in Indonesia since 1986, curated the exhibition and chose seven female artists: Lydiawati Lim, Melati Suryodarmo, Maria Indriasari, Ariani Darmawan, Sekarputri, Restu Ratnaningtyas and Mie Cornoedus to collaborate with other artists as “partners” in creating their works for the project.

Among the artists chosen as partners are Afrizal Malna and Mufty “Amenk” Priyanka.

Jaarsma pointed out during the discussion about the exhibition last month that female artists clustered together in exhibitions often tended to have their work judged on a gender basis, and not in terms of quality.

“We are often dissatisfied because of [that judgement]. Thus, if we only feature female artists, it will not be very interesting. A dialog between two genders was more interesting, so I went from there. The seven female artists looked for dialog partners. They [the partners] didn’t have to be males, but I hoped they were, and the dialogs lead to themes,” Jaarsma said during the discussion on the exhibition.

The dialogs range from the emotions of those who have lost mothers in the home, or the way a household views material possessions, to challenges such as losing out on a social life, or of being a new parents.

“Agung tells of his dream about his mother buying a new set of dining chairs. And coincidentally, I have recently dreamed of my late mother. I saw her cooking an abundance of meat, stacked highly in the kitchen. I didn’t understand the meaning of the dream. What is certain is that I often dream of my mother in the kitchen, and it’s always the same dream, in our first house,” reads the dialog between Retnu Ratnaningtyas and project partner Agung Kurniawan in the exhibition’s book.

What resulted from that dialog is a somewhat surreal depiction of the kitchen, involving drawings of a floating figure enveloped in blanket-like material.

Another piece of art involves what appears to be a baby mobile but includes objects that seemingly correspond not only to a baby’s direct senses but also to more abstract subjects and issues revolving around parenting. One example is a picture of a compass and a disc with names of religions written on it.

Jaarsma cited Austrian Valie Export as one of the early artists who created domestic-themed artwork, in which the latter wrapped her body in a cardboard box and invited people to put their hands through the hole in the box and feel her body.

Art critic Wicaksono Adi, however, said that the objects used in the exhibition did not explore the borders in which the public and private sphere clashes, resulting in chaos.

“Indonesian visual art about the private world is yet to be clearly worked on. I’m yet to see a view on the intimate, private world after 20 years,” he said during the discussion.

Jaarsma pointed out that while visual art might be a more challenging medium through which to convey domestic issues, as compared to other art forms such as literature, which usually have a bigger canvas to depict issues in detail, visual art still gives a chance to viewers to reflect and interpret the work.

Given the spectrum of emotions and personal experiences one has concerning domestic issues, such as child-raising or living within a neighborhood, visiting an exhibition about “Domestic Stuff” might produce interesting insights on one’s own life, or on the world outside.

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‘Motion/Sensation’: An exhibition of kinetic art

The Kinetic Art Exhibition titled “Motion/Sensation” organized by Edwin’s Gallery at the Jakarta Art District in Grand Indonesia reveals that Indonesian artists have been making kinetic art long before the term became an understanding in art creation.

Heri Dono, for instance, is known for the low-tech devices that he uses to attract viewers to his art installations. By the early 1980s when he thought painting was finished, Heri Dono — who had immersed himself in scientific reading about Gestaltung, design, form and Newton’s gravitational theory — began something that took him out of his lethargy; he made Aquarium with moving elements splashing in water “to heighten a sense of sensation”, he said.

Since then, motion through low-tech devices has appeared in almost all of his 3-D works and installations. His installation Flying Angels, with flapping wings generated by low-tech devices, has been shown in many parts of the world. The current show’s installation, Watching the Marginal People, which was made in 2000, features heads of monstrous creatures with moving beaks and sounds emerging from a transistor.

Handiwirman, for example, shows an interactive sewing machine with a sculpture of a woman’s head beside it. When you turn the handle of the sewing machine very fast, tears come out of the sculpture’s eyes. “Why the tears?” I asked the artist. “Ngga tega [I feel sorry]”, he said. 

Bagus Pandega’s Autism Spectrum is given a special dark space where it invites one to use the mike and shout. Immediately, the connected gramophone starts playing, the light ball erupts into a colored flicker and one can tap dance to the rhythm of a tone. This is a reflection of how technological advances have led to human’s self-gratification, an indulgence that has no need for living communication.

Rudi Hendriatno’s beautifully crafted Wood Engine must be manually generated. Others are just to look at.

Octora, an artist who engages with the female in her works, is represented with a wooden doll’s sculpture titled Laura in Paradise, putting the accent on a red silicone heart whose pumping heartbeat is made visual. She said at some point she realized how complicated life was, and being a doll or a puppet would make life easier. Yet, there are times that one must act like a human being, and that’s where the heart comes into play, she said.

Yani Mariani’s Soulmate sculpture, featuring two giant balls made of steel plates with little birds on top, starts trembling when a switch is pushed, and may be a metaphor for a partnership in which what happens to one affects the other. 

Hardiman Rajab’s use of suitcases as a metaphor is also apparent in this show. NATO (No Action Talk Only) is the title of the suitcase with lids featuring a mouth with a row of teeth that moves up and down.

Edwin Rahardjo, the owner of the 25-year-old Edwin’s Gallery, makes his entry as an artist with a work titled Floating Fleets, featuring an installation of six winged objects made of a mix of aluminum durl, carbon fiber, metal and a generating motor; it is a work to send one’s imagination meandering. Edwin said it is up to the viewer’s imagination to decide what the work features. It could be a fleet of planes, or angels flapping their wings and flying in the heavens or dragonflies roaming in nature. 

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But is everything moving kinetically? And what about the video? Why is Mella Jaarsma’s video titled Square Body in this kinetic show? 

Curator Agung Jennonghujanikka explained that not everything moving is a kinetic piece of art.
A train, for instance, has nothing to do with kinetic art.  As for Mella’s video, it is in fact a documentation of the performance, presented in the show titled “Beyond the Dutch” at the Utrecht Centraal Museum in 2009 and 2010. What is important is the moving of the actual dress in slow motion mimicking the Javanese bedoyo dance, the shadows playing a role like in wayang. Agung said Mella’s work is unique in its linking the kinetic with performance, theater (the shadow play) and dance (the slow motion of the bedoyo). 

The exhibition, which also includes works by Agus Suwage, Deden Sambas, Jompet Kuswidnanto, Septin Harriyoga, Wiyoga Muhardanto and Yuli Prayitno, provides a new perspective on Indonesian artistic practice, indicating a trend that visibly deviates from the early kinetic art created in the West.

And, it is a lot of fun.

‘Motion/sensation’
Indonesian Kinetic Art Exhibition
until August 21, 2011
at Jakarta Art District
Grand Indonesia East Mall, LG
(ex Harvey Nichols space)
Jakarta

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A portrait of Javanese values

Love, harmony and serenity are among the values taught for people to live by.  Based on some Javanese values, the “Java Dwipantara” art exhibition features some realism paintings that are as striking as their inspirations. 

The Javanese word sumeleh refers to a pure and peaceful state of mind without greed or any need to be restless. Achieving this would be valued as a perfect life. Perhaps our inability to reach this is the cause of our troubled world.  

Using Javanese values, contemporary artist Yuli Kodo translates today’s social and political conditions into striking artworks currently on display at Hadiprana Gallery in South Jakarta.

Curated by Aa Nurjaman, “Java Dwipantara” is Yuli’s first solo exhibition.

In this collection of more than 25 paintings, Yuli brings us through a passage into philosophical Javanese lives.

He reflects implicit messages of Javanese literature into an art form with a culturally bounded atmosphere. His style can be categorized as “realism” painting, putting together symbolic elements represented in today’s context.

“I based this collection on a Javanese song that represents the 11 stages in life from birth to death,” Yuli said when met during the exhibition’s opening ceremony on July 18.

The song he was referring to is “Tembang Mocopat”, 11 steps in life from Maskumambang (embryo) to Pucung (burial), which is a philosophical guide for an ideal life.

Yuli’s Javanese intellectuality is derived from his background. Born and raised in the vicinity of the Yogyakarta royal palace, Yuli lived by the Javanese belief of Kejawen. A particular atmosphere that he projects in this collection is the appreciation of life led by the element of balance. 

The values of “Tembang Mocopat” are translated into symbols. This collection can be generally categorized into three themes. The first pictures the philosophical lives of Javanese men and women, the second presents traditional children’s games, while the third is dedicated to the palace. 

White painted faces dominate most of his subjects. This signature element is meant as a mask, which symbolizes people’s masked characters. “People go out with their masks; we may never know what’s inside them,” he explained. 

Bapa Angkasa Ibu Pertiwi is an example of the first theme, picturing how the roles of men and women complete life in the universe. He explains that in Javanese philosophy men guide life, while women are the key to prosperity.

This is followed by Mimi lan Mintuno, in which a woman kneels with a pot of water while her man stands tall with a stick to protect them. Through these elements he emphasizes balance in life.

Yuli praises women as the source of our existence. The painting Perempuan pictures a woman dressed in batik standing among tulips on water with her arms out. 

On her head is the moon, her chest the sun and between her legs is the earth, a representation of a complete life. The sun being the heart illuminates the mind and the womb, which is the birth of life.  

The painter also uses many Javanese idioms to represent the context of political and social realities.

As an Indonesian, it would be easier to take in the meaning of the symbols as they are bound to Javanese cultural values. 

He implies that this collection may just look like a photograph, but with a thorough look you’ll see that they don’t stray far from today’s context.

One painting titled Ing Ngarso Sung Tulodho, Ing Madyo Mangun Karso, Tut Wuri Handayani portrays six children standing behind one another with the leader confronted by another boy with a stick.

Taken from a Javanese idiom, it’s a reminder to (political) leaders that they are responsible and while the people behind them will always follow those in front, they have a right to remind their leaders when taking the wrong way.

Panglima (commander) is part of the third theme, portraying a palace commander escorted by palace guards. His firm figure represents Ningrat, with Ning meaning tranquility and rat meaning the universe.

This describes the spiritual condition within a nobleman (priyayi). As such, Ningrat can be achieved by anyone able to overcome one’s own body and soul and hence be worthy a leader.  

“Java Dwipantara” presents a look into the roots of Javanese culture embodied by the various symbols of its philosophies. Yuli Kodo’s works show that cultural values still concur with today’s realities.


Java Dwipantara

July 11-27, 2011
Hadiprana Gallery
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 30, South Jakarta

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Visual art inspired by words

This concept is explored by the daily newspaper Kompas in its Sunday edition, in which it regularly publishes a short story accompanied by an illustration. Thus, the weekly edition presented a short story (cerpen) plus an illustration.

Many of those beautiful illustrations are displayed in an exhibition at Bentara Budaya in Jakarta. Being the 8th annual exhibition of these works, it displays all of the short stories published in 2010.


In a separate room, published short stories with illustrations are on display. This original layout of the text and illustration is displayed in frames and ordered according to the date of publication, from January to December of 2010.

Since its first exhibition in 2003, Kompas’ involvement in contemporary art can be hailed as a success in introducing literature of a more profound dimension.

“The illustrations stand independently, not just to support the text but to give a deeper meaning to it,” Bentara Budaya executive director Efix Mulyadi told the Post at the exhibition hall.

Efix recalls that the idea to feature illustrations with accompanying short stories came to him in about 2002. At that time, Kompas had been publishing short stories in its art column. However, they were only laid out with simple illustrations.

Then, a notion came to put together literature and illustrations through art forms. “Illustrations don’t always have to be like that [simple pictures based on the short story]. They can stand with literature as equals, not as an integral part of it,” Efix emphasized.

A team at Kompas then worked extensively with contemporary artists and writers and started publishing the new illustrated short stories in the same year. Since then, about 50 illustrated short stories have decorated the newspaper’s Sunday column every year (52 stories in a year).
Lelaki yang Membelah Bulan (left) and Kenangan Perkawinan. JP/Wibisono Notodirdjo
This move has been hailed as a success in bringing an integration of art and literature to readers.

The images portrayed here may seem rather abstract. This might be because the pictures don’t pick out every element in the text of the story and literally portray them that way. The narration is translated into shapes, colors and/or tones, using symbols to convey the same message as a whole.

“By making the illustration stand independently as a form of literature, not as a part of a story, it gives a whole new meaning to both the narration and the picture,” he added.

Readers react, he continued, to the soul of a story and this emotion is relayed to the lines and colors of the illustration, hence it becomes a place that’s free for the reader’s interpretations.

Since they can now exist on the same level, the narration does not dictate the illustration, but guides one another for any form of understanding.

More than a hundred of Indonesia’s finest names in art and literature – including artists, poets and writers – have submitted their works since 2003.

Although many of the illustrations seem abstract, they are founded in the short stories.

Artists interpret the plots, messages and motives into the strokes of their brushes or the composition of photographs. Most of them only have five days from the time the short story narration is handed to them to create an illustration.

Despite the short time they have, they manage to create art that perfectly illustrates the profound short stories.

Since they first began being published, the people that brought the illustrated short stories have wanted to bring these works to the public with the intention of promoting literary art.

This has been followed up by annual illustrated short story exhibitions since 2003, in which most of the original artworks have been displayed.

This year’s exhibition was held at Bentara Budaya in Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta and Solo (Central Java). Kompas also published a book compiling 18 of the best short stories of 2010.

A short story titled Dodolitdodolitdodolibret by Seno Gumira Ajidarma published on Sept. 26, 2010 was hailed the year’s best short story.

The illustrated short story succeeded in enriching literature with visual art. Now it has become a significant place to promote and develop the best of Indonesian art and literature.

Bentara Budaya jakarta
Jl. Palmerah Selatan No.17, Jakarta.

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‘Ethnicity Now’: much wishful thinking

Expectations were set high for the exhibition “Ethnicity Now”, currently on show at the National Gallery — particularly because of the tagline below the title linking Ethnicity to Indonesian Contemporary Art.

But sadly, the show turned out to be a disappointment.

It seems the organizers and the show’s curator were carried away by an increasingly strong vision in the art world that acknowledges the cultural and the local in contemporary art.

For me, the local, traditional or ethnic for that matter, must challenge the creative, innovative, imaginative and artistic forces of an artist to create fascinating forms and shapes that, while breathing a touch or trace of its original heritage, are basically new, d

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