Six communities from five famous mountains in Central Java recently descended upon Jakarta, bringing art to a six-day event of exhibitions, performances and talks at Bentara Budaya in Central Jakarta.

The event was themed “Maneges Gunung,” a Javanese phrase that means reflection, according to Bentara Budaya executive director Hariadi Saptono. The title was chosen by the communities’ long-time adviser — eccentric contemporary music composer Sutanto Mendut — to encourage the communities to continue to reflect on the environment so their art would evolve and not stagnate.

The communities hail from five mountains in Magelang, Central Java: Andong, Menoreh, Merapi, Merbabu and Sumbing.

The event opened with a performance of wayang orang, a kuda lumping horse dance and the Kembang Gunung dance as presented by members of the Five Mountains Community (KLG).

Sutanto said that while the work of the communities relied heavily on traditional Javanese culture, it also remained open and adaptive to their environment.

He noted, for example, the costume changes in the wayang orang performances typically staged by the people of Tutup Ngisor hamlet near Mt. Merapi. “If they are hired by Catholic priests, they will wear costumes with a cross stitched on the chest. When they are hired by ulema, they will wear Islamic headdress. They know how to make their customers happy.”

Graceful: “From five mountains, they bring wisdom and creative energy. They come from faraway and bring with them joy and freedom,” according to cultural observer Goenawan Mohamad. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
That evening, the troupe presented a classical play about the cupu manik astagina, a sort of Javanese Holy Grail. Instead of using a chalice, however, the players from Tutup Ngisor used a tablet computer to stand in for the cupu manik astagina, drawing laughs from the audience.

In an opening speech, essayist and renowned cultural observer Goenawan Mohamad said that the communities offered something very different from what Jakartans typically saw. “From five mountains, they bring wisdom and creative energy. They come from faraway and bring with them joy and freedom.”

Hariadi said that the performers from the communities had always been reflective, listening to criticism and changing their music, for example, in response.

Visual artist Sujono from Merbabu brought Saujana-style wayang puppets and masks that were inspired by insects, with quirky expressions that made the pieces stand out at the exhibition.

Meanwhile, Mami Kato, Sutanto’s wife from Japan, presented a painting that showed her love for the late Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, the nation’s fourth president and a spiritual leader.

Other artists, including Pangadi, Mami Kato, Nugroho, Khoirul Mutaqin, Bambang Sunarno, Hadi Suroto, Supadi Haryanto, Parmadi, Parman, Tayat and Sutris, brought installations, oil paintings on canvas, glass paintings, puppets and masks.

Although the artists in the communities sell their work in shops and galleries, their main income is still from agriculture. Living in the cool climate of mountains, most grow vegetables.

Six communities from five famous mountains in Central Java recently descended upon Jakarta, bringing art to a six-day event of exhibitions, performances and talks at Bentara Budaya in Central Jakarta.

The event was themed '€œManeges Gunung,'€ a Javanese phrase that means reflection, according to Bentara Budaya executive director Hariadi Saptono. The title was chosen by the communities'€™ long-time adviser '€” eccentric contemporary music composer Sutanto Mendut '€” to encourage the communities to continue to reflect on the environment so their art would evolve and not stagnate.

The communities hail from five mountains in Magelang, Central Java: Andong, Menoreh, Merapi, Merbabu and Sumbing.

The event opened with a performance of wayang orang, a kuda lumping horse dance and the Kembang Gunung dance as presented by members of the Five Mountains Community (KLG).

Sutanto said that while the work of the communities relied heavily on traditional Javanese culture, it also remained open and adaptive to their environment.

He noted, for example, the costume changes in the wayang orang performances typically staged by the people of Tutup Ngisor hamlet near Mt. Merapi. '€œIf they are hired by Catholic priests, they will wear costumes with a cross stitched on the chest. When they are hired by ulema, they will wear Islamic headdress. They know how to make their customers happy.'€