Munarsih Sahana, Yogyakarta
Now in its third year, Art Jogja 2010 — “Indonesian Art Now: The Strategies of Being” represents Indonesian contemporary art and accommodates many different trends and themes in today’s visual art scene.
Previous editions featured artwork solicited under an open call as part of the Jogja Art Festival. This year, organizer Heri Pemad changed the event’s name and invited prominent artists such as Entang Wiharso and Nasirun to participate and also commissioned works from Eko Nugroho, Yudi Sulistyo and Budi Adi Nugroho.
Curator Aminudin TH Siregar said he had discovered a third genre of Indonesian visual art, in addition to Bandung’s western-influenced abstract school and Jogjakarta’s politically-oriented modernist artists.
“This third genre is represented by young artists who tend to be neurotic. They are often unaware of their drive to create art but have strong passion. It is hard to understand what they want to say through their works,” Siregar said.
One such example is Menonton Kebodohan, created by Heri Dono, a master of Indonesian contemporary art. The installation, whose title means Witnessing the Foolishness, consists of 10 dog statues, each seated and wearing a mask.
Heri made the work into a kind of game: The dogs shake their heads when a button is pressed.
Interpretation of the installation’s nuances, such as the dogs’ bulging sexual organs, is left to spectators.
Other works used repetition as a motif, such as Maria Indria Sari’s mixed-media Main Di Dapur (Playing in the Kitchen), which featured eight puppets shaped like kitchen utensils, washing machines, kettles and jars.
Syahrizal Pahlevi 21-painting series Memori Teman Teman Komunitas (A Memory of Friends in a Community) features depictions of the artist’s close friends.
Adhya S. Ranadireksa features his three series of local legends including Gundala (C-Print on resin-coated photo paper). Aan Arief created two romantic paintings in French Kiss.
He made the final work by adding extra brushwork to the two paintings (oil on canvas) to create a blur rather instead of a realistic effect.
Tomy Aditama Putra painted the faces of Kick Hujatnikajennong, Kick Aminudin, Kick Hikayat, Kick Zaelani, and Kick Irianto, all Bandung-based art curators.
Looking at the way he created the paintings, one might think Tomy had particular issues with the curators, either positive or negative. Another possible reading of his work is that these curators are symbols of his love and hate of this particular profession related to making his accomplishment in visual art.
Several works clearly indicate the critical thought and concerns of the artists for life around them. For example, Kusmanto in Dollar Warming #1 (oil on canvas) presents a painting of a flaming US banknote, pointing to the financial crisis hit the United States.
In Not Mithology (oil on canvas), artist Willy Himawan depicted a forest fire with masked man and several confused animals in the background.
Isa Perkasa’s Menangkap Kucing (Catching the Cat), white pencil on fabric, comments on rampant bureaucratic corruption.
Isa used brown fabric (in the same shade as civil servant uniforms) as a canvas and put the paintings into a negative-like appearance which probably says that graft is a negative practice. It bears the image of two men trying to catch a cat eating a mouse, while they themselves eating many nicer fish.
Other works show serious efforts made by the artists in order to achieve their best, such as Nike Pattern by Joko Avianto, which looks like an intricate batik print based on the logo of the famous shoe brand.
A number of works by Kelompok Sentak were featured. The Bandung-based artist’s collective’s works focus on small details and lines such as AT Sitompul’s Jangan Berfantasi Tapi Berimajinasi (Don’t Fantasize but Imagine), which was made of aluminum, and I Made Valasara’s Menjenuhkan (Boring), which was acrylic and thread on canvas.
Most of the works on display explore the themes, techniques and media used by contemporary Indonesian artists. This means the event has managed to meet its goals, according to Aminudin.
Art Jog 2010 organizers hope it will become a prestigious event similar to Art Paris, Art Hong Kong or Art Miami, said Aminudin.
The exhibition will feature a panel discussion with the commissioned artists on July 29 and sponsor student visits to the studios of local artists Djoko Pekik, Nasirun, Entang Wiharso and Jumaldi Alfi on July 24-25Source: Jakarta Post
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