Three young artists converge in 'Embrio'

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 09/16/2007 2:43 PM  |  Life

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

According to the dictionary, ""embryo"" means the beginning or undeveloped state of something. Art curator Frigidanto Agung has used the word to refer to an object of fantasy that is then visualized on a canvas.

""Everyone has fantasies. People fantasize an object. To make it visible, it has to be seen through a medium. Artists use the canvas to visualize it,"" he says.

His perception of the idea has driven him to put together three young painters who are said to carry a similar concept of realizing their fantasy on canvas.

The three -- Heri Purwanto, Jack S. Riyadi and Dadi Setiyadi -- are displaying their works at Galeri Milenium in South Jakarta. The exhibition will run through Oct. 1.

Heri's works reveal his concern about the problem of dwelling on earth. His fantasy goes beyond the earth and finds an attachment in the sky.

Mengungsi ke Langit (evacuating to the sky), Going to Nowhere and Orbit each carry a drawing of a wooden house flying in the sky.

""My theme is about crowding on earth. I ask where people will turn to when the earth is crowded. I rest my hopes in the sky,"" Heri said.

His other paintings on display include Mengikat Pelangi (tie the rainbow) and Survive.

Jack Riyadi finds a shoe an interesting object to carry the message he conveys from real life. His fantasy is represented in an image of a shoe half-dissolving into the color of the sky.

""Everyone has their own object of attachment. Some have glasses, others have keys. As for me, it is the shoe,"" he said.

Menyatu Dengan Lingkungan (at one with the environment), Sepatu Siang Malam (shoes of different color) and Mengejar Matahari (chasing the sun) are three of his paintings that depict shoe images.

""One day I dried a pair of shoes. At the end of the day, I found I had had to move the shoes to catch the sunlight. The shoes, which were initially on the ground, ended up perching on the roof,"" he said in explaining the concept behind the drawing Mengejar Matahari.

A cup of coffee resting on a flying mat in the sky -- Menunggu Kereta Berangkat (waiting for the train to depart) -- is a painting about an experience in which he caught a glimpse of someone drinking coffee while waiting for a train.

Jack, a graduate of Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) -- the others are from Indonesia Art Institute of Yogyakarta (ISI) -- also portrays his concern about the environment through Hatiku Terasa Bergetah (my heart feels sapped), which depicts the image of a pile of logs being illuminated by the sun.

Dadi Setiyadi's imagination about genetic engineering, the world of aliens combined with issues on the environment and imbued with a nuance of seduction is realized in Menyiram di Tanah Surga (watering an eden), Ballien, Green House and Pussy Cat.

""Fantasy dominates my paintings. It's the art of fantasizing,"" he said.

However, it's not an all-fantasy spectacle. Legenda Banyuwangi (Banyuwangi legend) invites the viewer to follow a folk tale from Banyuwangi, a small town in the easternmost part of Java.

Dadi said that he had made the story a 10-painting series with the one on display the latest.

While fantasy reigns in their works, Heri said that the theme of the exhibition would encourage him to seek more embryonic ideas for future drawings.

Embrio
Heri Purwanto, Dadi Setiyadi, Jack S. Riyadi
Galeri Milenium
D'Best shopping complex
Jl. RS Fatmawati no. 15
South Jakarta

tel. 7507828

Sept. 5 through Oct. 1

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