How’s Your Day by Sally Texania Marita Joesof JP/Carla Bianpoen

Veduta, the Italian word for view, is generally used to describe a detailed large-scale painting of a cityscape. But in the context of the exhibition titled “Bandung Initiative #5: Veduta”, curators Rizki A Zaelani and A. Rikrik Kusmara are alluding to the many mediums and trends identified in artwork from Bandung artists.

Although more than twenty-five artists participated in this exhibition held at the Vanessa Art Link gallery — the fifth in the Bandung Initiative series of shows, most of the works evoke a sense of déjà vu.

And somewhere in this unpretentious space sits a small installation of seven ceramic flasks titled Holy Water. Holy water? Wasn’t this what pilgrims brought home from Lourdes, France, as a result of its healing powers? Well, not quite, as artist Nadya Savitri explains that her work in fact refers to what sake is to the Japanese, cheongju (clear wine) to the Koreans, or ruou can (stem wine) to the Vietnamese: wine.

During her stay in Japan, she learned that a meal was not complete without sake, while rice wine was also used in certain Korean ceremonies. Her other work Golden Path depicts a holy book made out of ceramics, featuring two guns lying on top of it. Why not? Criminals also seek strength from a holy book now and then. Besides, it is a perfect place to hide one’s weapons. Drawn over the holy book is the map of Indonesia, more food for thought.

Jabbar Muhammad work titled Femme Flammeu, which might translate as “woman ablaze” in French — with the word flammeu close enough to flamme or flame. Jabbar likes to use and build upon foreign words, so one must either understand foreign languages or look up the names of his artworks in a dictionary to find out more clues.

The work features various layers of a woman in a fiery red transparent dress, with a headdress shaped like a crow’s beak.

His other work, this time an oil on canvas, titled Xenohybrid, features a man’s silhouette and his two faces superimposed, as well as the same crow’s beak pictured in Femme Flammeu.

According to Wikipedia, “xeno” is a prefix based on the Greek word xenos — meaning stranger — often used in biology to refer to differences in species. It is clear that Jabbar Muhammad’s finely finished works are inspired by theories of advanced technology and the evolution of humankind.

Unlike Jabbar, Erika Ernawan’s light-grey and white photograph features body parts associated to personal experiences that have had the most impact on her life. Erika shows that she uses various mediums of expression, with photography just one of many. This perhaps clarifies why her work sometimes needs a polish.

Sally Texania Marita Joesof works titled How’s Your Day and The Collapse, featuring a face painted in the same manner as a clown’s, at first evokes images of a battered woman. But the artist explains the works are a visualization of personal experiences, which do not necessarily imply the theme of violence.

She adds that many disasters in the last year have deeply moved her. The Collapse therefore uses harsher and rougher strokes.

Are trends in the art works of Bandung artists different from, for instance, Jogja artists?

This certainly used to be the case in the past, because of the different perspectives on nationalism and the arts.

“The Bandung Initiative #5: Veduta” exhibition, which is part of a larger piece of research delving into trends in the works of Bandung artists, may shed more light on the answer to this question. In the mean time, it is not known whether the series of Bandung Initiative exhibitions will continue or end here.

“Bandung Initiative #5: Veduta”

Vanessa Art Link

Jl. Darmawangsa X No. 76

Jakarta Jan. 9, 2010 to Jan. 23, 2010

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