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Making art behind bars in Yogyakarta
âLife Is Beautifulâ: Mixed media, by Lenny R
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'Life Is Beautiful': Mixed media, by Lenny R. Weihert, a participant in 'Gagal Expresi'¦?'.
Four men incarcerated at Wirogunan Prison in Yogyakarta smiled when asked to talk about their paintings currently on display at the nearby WirogunArt Gallery.
The acrylic on canvas paintings of the inmates are part of an exhibition titled 'Gagal Ekspresi'¦?' (Failure to Express'¦?) organized by prison officials and a group of local artists working together under the aegis of Nara Rupa.
The gallery, operated by the Law and Human Rights Ministry, typically presents arts and crafts made by local inmates. The artists currently on display previously completed a three-week painting class at the prison given by Widodo Dj, the founder of Nara Rupa, who asked that the offenses of the prisoners not be mentioned.
One inmate-artist, Joen, is one year into a 17-year sentence. The 45-year-old said that he had liked drawing class ever since primary school. He said that his painting, which depicts a crimson stallion, represented his best attempt to express a desire for freedom.
'I felt so relieved after finishing the painting,' Joen said. 'Now I feel obsessed to paint more and more', Joen said during the interview, which was attended by Widodo and prison officials. He was particularly pleased in painting on canvas, as opposed to paper. Joen said that the class and the exhibition made him want to better understand color composition to create better paintings.
Another one of the artists, Irfan, shared Joen's desire for freedom, saying that he wanted very much to visit Kalimantan. The 39-year-old ' six years into a 12-year sentence ' said that the stories of Borneo told to him by friends had inspired him to paint a Dayak dancer. Irfan said that the class had taught him how to paint on glass, a traditional Javanese medium, and that he was ready to learn more about art.
Meanwhile, inmate Andri said that prison was the best training ground for him to become a better person. His painting depicts a strong, beautiful mountain scene dominated by sunlight-bright yellows.
The 35-year-old, with two years left on a 12-year sentence, said that he drew inspiration from the volcano Mount Merapi, which he can see from the prison yard. Andri said that completing the painting had given him peace of mind.
The fourth inmate interviewed, Agung Wahyu, has spent the least amount of time behind bars, nine months into a 15-month sentence. His work depicted a red-and-white koi fish in a pond surrounded by lotus flowers. 'The painting was more of spontaneous work, since I always watch the fish and the lotuses in front of my cell.'
The 32-year-old said that he looked forward to more painting as a way to pass the time behind bars, as did the other inmate-artists. Although basically self-taught, Agung said that he has completed dozens of portraits commissioned by his fellow inmates.
Widodo Dj, a visual artist trained at the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta, is the mastermind behind Nara Rupa, which means fine artists, or, more literally, those who create.
The 46-year-old said that he devised the prison painting project to help the inmates exercise their freedom of expression, without the limitations imposed by the gallery scene or the marketplace.
The nara rupa, Widodo says, should not stand in contrast to the nara pidana, or those who are imprisoned. Widodo said that he offered to manage the ministry gallery, which had been struggling at the time, and to offer art classes to the inmates.
'When I first arrived, they looked intimidated, sitting on the floor,' Widodo said. 'Doubt mixed with strong curiosity. To break the ice, I started my own painting and then explained to them how to express ideas into visual form, step by step.'
Widodo encouraged the inmates to relax, saying that they could not make any mistakes while creating art. Soon he saw smiles. Widodo was amazed with the happiness reflected in their faces and the free expression achieved by the inmates.
The inmates' enthusiasm was obvious, Widodo said, from the way that they treated their paintings, smiling with relief after completing their work and happily chatting and smoking.
The current exhibition has no theme. Some works deal with prison life; others focus on love and passion. SMSR Yogya student Wulan, for example, depicted prison life in street-art style, while ISI Yogyakarta lecturer Rina Kurniyati, composed a portrait of Hitler on glass.
One installation, Lenny R. Weichert's 'Life Is Beautiful', presented small sculptures of girls in striped uniform bound together by chains, which she said was designed to encourage inmates to accept the reality of their life and the notion that life could yet still be beautiful.
According to Widodo, the initial target of the art movement was to encourage fellow visual artists to exercise their freedom of expression in creating art works in the grip of the market. He is happy that such a goal could be achieved in the exhibition.
Rudy Gill, the warden of Wirogunan Prison, said that the painting class would definitely be continued. 'The state, through the prison, is obliged by law to help develop the potential of the inmates.'
At the opening the exhibition, Deputy Law and Human Right Minister Deny Indrayana extended his thanks to the artists of Nara Rupa. 'There are currently over 16,000 inmates across the nation and the officials are outnumbered. Therefore we need this kind of collaboration.'
'Gagal Expresi'¦?' runs from July 5 to 25 at WirogunArt on Jl. Taman Siswa 21 in Yogyakarta.
