Heri Dono: One of a kind

Aminuddin TH. Siregar ,  Contributor ,  Bandung, West Java   |  Sun, 09/07/2008 9:46 AM  |  People

HERI DONO: (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)

A solo exhibition by Heri Dono, titled "Nobody's Land" (which ran from August 5-16 at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta) may be over, its artworks packed and gone, but what still remains is the artist's unpretentious persona that has made a huge contribution to Indonesia's contemporary art scene.

The exhibition, organized by Edwin's Gallery and curated by Bandung-based Agung Hujatnikajenong, carved out an important aspect: Heri Dono's personal character -- which should be admired by all young Indonesian artists.

"Sure, I don't owe anything to this country. I mean, I was never raised to fame through sound art infrastructure... After all, I realized I had to make it on my own, looking for my own opportunities. In the end, my art sense was fostered through the experiences I gained on the international art scene -- and not at home," he said.

"This way of looking at art should be carefully noted by young artists. In short, don't be a champion of your own backyard if you can't compete in the outside world."

At a recent meeting, Heri, who turns 48 later this year, said he was concerned about Indonesia's current art market because it had changed in many ways.

Young artists were too easily satisfied with their artistic achievements, if (as presently) the market looked kindly on their work, he said, adding the youthful spirit of young Indonesian artists was trapped in "a small, local nutshell".

Even worse yet, Heri continued, there was a growing impression that young artists pleased the market, while they had forgotten to equip themselves with a depth of skill or mature concepts that could only be attained through ceaseless self-exploration and observation of their own environment.

Many young artists were not savvy when mingling at international-level art events, because they were too busy at home pleasing art brokers and felt "big enough" already, Heri said.

But this scenario could not be blamed on artists alone, he said, because the market had no vision for escorting our artists to more challenging events at home or abroad.

Quite simply, the local market does not have access to more prestigious international art forums.

"The artists (and art market operators) do not realize they must work to fix this... I'm sorry, but it's a gloomy future for art development in this country. We are not going anywhere -- static." he said.

Heri may speak bitterly about young artists and the local art market, but articulates what he believes and, like it or not, Indonesia's contemporary art scene does owe a lot to him.

In discussing contemporary Indonesian art, after Indonesia's modern fine art maestro Affandi, perhaps the next most famous figure to emerge would be Heri Dono.

Heri is a household name in the international art scene -- best known for his smooth translations of traditional Indonesian art into contemporary forms.

Conceptually, his work has clear foundations and distinct character. Unfortunately, however, many of his "best" works have been collected by museums abroad, not here.

Works like Menonton Orang Marjinal (Watching Marginalized People), 1992, and Gamelan of Rumor, 1993, are among such masterpieces -- both ahead of their times politically and thematically.

Or his other clever installations, Ceremony of The Soul (1995) and Fermentation of Mind (1993-1994), which are both profound observations of the New Order's political indoctrination.

Fermentation of Mind consists of busts assembled on a desk with wires and a simple electronic network that makes the heads stop and move in a certain way.

This piece shows clearly how Heri interprets classrooms as an effective mechanism for the political regime to indoctrinate younger generations.

With his easily understood messages, Heri's works invite us to re-witness history, with a new understanding of what really occurred.

Almost all Heri's works are political, reflecting on what happens on social and political stages. Some of his works touch on international issues -- he moves almost whimsically, with great confidence.

Heri translates scenarios that have taken place in his own backyard, but also takes aim at global issues and manages to depict them both as close to his heart.

For Heri, the biggest challenge contemporary art in Indonesia faces is how to take on local issues and communicate them to wider audiences, and how to avoid being dragged into fundamentalism or chauvinistic nationalism.

Heri continually questions and develops ideas of "locality". Local values are no longer rigid and static; instead, they become dynamic when they meet with bigger contexts and are presented as new themes.

Heri seems to answer problems raised by the great painter S. Sudjojono of the 1940s (showing it takes more than half a century to see a development in Indonesian fine arts).

Once they had proved themselves great nationalists, artists could go on to claim to be internationalists, Sudjojono had said at the time. But this theory seems to insinuate there is a symmetrical relationship between "nationalist" and "internationalist".

Heri was brought up in an environment devoutly exercising deep-rooted traditional Javanese beliefs. In his youth, he spent time studying wayang (shadow puppetry) and became a dalang (story teller/puppet master).

As a consequence, Heri has now mastered not only the physical art of wayang puppetry, but also has a deeper understanding of the intrinsic philosophical representation of each character.

With his profound knowledge of wayang, he never presents his views of serious matters as many experts would when presenting papers at seminars. Instead, he casually applies them with a sound sense of humor and biting satire.

Through some of his works, Heri consciously conveys messages through parody. In his latest piece, for instance, titled Sarimin (2008), he borrows on King Kong, a household name through Hollywood blockbusters. Heri lightly christens this giant ape character "Sarimin" -- a nickname for monkeys used in topeng monyet (mini street circus using monkeys) -- because both have similarities despite their size differences.

Works of artists of Heri Dono's caliber should ideally be put in contemporary art museums at home (where young artists or art lovers can go and see them again and again) because they deserve special attention with their depth of message and highly mastered techniques. Alas, our infrastructure at home has not evolved to this level yet.

There is a clogged transformation, from artists with qualities like Heri Dono's -- and perhaps others -- to the younger generation and the public.

But Heri's journey is not over yet. For now, artists like him continue to receive more respect and appreciation overseas than locally -- although wherever he goes, Heri takes his national identity with him.

Indonesian contemporary art features on the international scene not because of any other reason than the artists' individual drive. Heri Dono may not have anything to ask of his country because he is not that kind of person, but it would be wise to say Indonesian art owes a lot to people like him. And as a big country, Indonesia should be ashamed of itself.

The writer is a lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology's School of Fine Art.

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