Kapten Tag (Captain Tag) by Heri Dono (JP/Munarsih Sahana)
Seventeen visual artists, plus one guest - all big names in Indonesia's contemporary art scene - are presenting their works in an ongoing exhibition in Yogyakarta.
The "Second Odyssey" exhibition at Sri Sasanti Gallery Yogyakarta has a double meaning, marking both the journey of the gallery, which is celebrating its second anniversary, and an effort to challenge participating artists to showcase their second artistic development.
The exhibition curator, Fery Oktanio, said the exhibition tried to capture the artists' artistic journey and people's expectations of their artwork at the end of the process.
"This exhibition, however, is obviously not the end of their creativity but this level *of the process* might be seen as a *pause' from their ongoing creativity and artistic processes," Fery said.
"This can also be seen as another beginning for them. In other words, this phase is the end of today and the beginning of tomorrow for the artists."
In this case, as curator, Fery did not "direct" all the works to be displayed but rather acted as the "conductor", allowing each artist to maintain his or her own characteristics but in a single harmonious presentation.
For the exhibition, artist Nindityo Adipurnomo, who has frequently used his trademark konde (traditional Javanese hair bun) in his works, presents his installation titled Have You Been to Madura, Mam?
Nindityo confessed that after feeling "trapped" by his konde for some time, he was surprised when he saw a piece of an antique wooden sculpture when visiting Madura with a friend.
This piece of furniture, he said, made him curious to know more about Madura. Previously, he was too busy with his konde - a symbol of his strong Javanese cultural background - to care about anything else.
He then launched a series of serious ethnographic studies of Madura and made another visit to the island.
Like an ethnographic work of art, his latest artwork shows various aspects of the life and traditional symbols of the Madurese. This can be seen in his efforts to make glass paintings with the colors typical of Madurese batik.
As for Heri Dono, his work Kapten Tag (Captain Tag) shows a continuation of his passion for his country.
The renowned artist, who has long conducted research into Indonesian art and history, admitted that Kapten Tag was about various paintings by other artists, mostly in glass paintings. Kapten Tag could have been an important narrative told in the past to different generations. It was this thought that attracted him to recreate this artwork.
This time he depicts a Dutch captain arriving in Indonesian waters during the colonial era several hundred years ago, rendered in bright colors with strong blues for the sky and the ocean.
The captain looks very busy serving people who appear amazed by the captain and his ship.
One of his men stands behind him observing the seashore through binoculars.
The painting might intend to remind people about aspects of the country's history.
Nasirun, an artist who was raised in a strong local Javanese tradition and (Islam) religion, seems to have found the essence of contemporary art.
Following his curiosity about the meaning of "contemporary", Nasirun's work exposes the journey of his mind, questioning whether things already traditional could be considered contemporary.
In the exhibition, he displays a big painting Purnama 15 Yang Ke-2 (The Second Full Moon), which depicts himself praying while facing a full moon. A big crowd is seen holding a celebration, a common tradition in Javanese society during the full moon.
On top of the painting is written a lyric from a traditional Javanese song, "Ilir-Ilir", usually sung outdoors while people enjoy festivities under the full moon.
Fery found that most of the participating artists revealed new developments in their artistic formation.
New developments in the creative process are also shown by other artists such as Agung Mangu Putra with his work Biksu Tua (Old Monks), showing his critical view of the subject.
Ugo Untoro presents a shift from figures of horses to arrows, although these arrows still make up a statue of a horse, for his work, Epos *2.
The Second Odyssey
Until Oct. 18
Sri Sasanti Gallery
Jalan Palagan Tentara Pelajar, Sleman,
Yogyakarta
