Covering Kartini - Courtesy of Sudigdo

Today, Indonesian women enjoy more power and independence than those in previous generations.

While Kartini is recognized as a pioneer when it comes to women'€™s empowerment, there are those who refuse to acknowledge her, insisting that Kartini'€™s ideas have no relevance to them.

For artist Sudigdo, Kartini is the epitome of a modern woman, who has a thirst for knowledge, sets out aims and objectives in her life, but at the same time respects Indonesian values.

'€œI am not against modernity. Women should not stay at home and do nothing; they should set out aims and objectives in their lives. However, I believe while a woman can have a wonderful career, her family must come first and women should perceive men as their partners, rather than as competitors,'€ he said.

'€œWhen it comes to Kartini, some modern women acknowledge Kartini'€™s struggles and can relate to her. But there are others who think there is no relevance between Kartini'€™s ideas and them, or modern women in general.'€

The artist presents his interpretation of Kartini at his ninth solo exhibition, titled '€œInterpreting Kartini: Refuse or Acknowledge'€, at the Koi Gallery in Jakarta until May 11.

His thought-provoking images portray the reality of women'€™s lives, depicting various emotions through facial expressions, from satisfaction to desperation. Each painting and its '€œcharacter'€ have much to say.

In Covering Kartini, a female figure is pulling a curtain to cover a painting that depicts Kartini '€” symbolizing a woman who believes that all things Kartini have become obsolete and are irrelevant today.

One of the most visually attractive artworks is Collapsed Crown '€” yet, some feminists may despise this painting.

The image depicts a woman sitting on the floor, behind a crown; she has an expression of silent desperation, regret and bone-deep sadness on her beautiful face. In Indonesia, a crown symbolizes virginity.

Past and Present features two identical women, both of them bearing a resemblance to Kartini. One of them wears traditional Indonesian attire, while the other, who sports fiery red hair, wears modern dress.

'€œThis painting just portrays the reality of how modern Indonesian women adapt to Western ways of living at present and, by the way, I am not against women who dye their hair,'€ said the artist, who dedicates this exhibition to his beloved mother and his much-loved wife.

While some of the paintings depict happy women, like Jump in Champagne, others portray female figures with sad or even indifferent expressions on their faces, as they have to face up to the harsh realities of life, from domestic violence to prostitution.

Bribe depicts a woman sitting on a spoon, and there is a bored expression on her face. This artwork portrays the reality that many businessmen and politicians use women as bribes to realize their goals; and many women turn to prostitution to make ends meet, but in some cases it can be a lifestyle choice, rather than out of financial desperation.

In this painting, Sudigdo asks whether women have to surrender to materialism in order to live a satisfying life. '€œI believe women have choices about what to do with their lives. Thus I purposely painted the woman in this painting as subject rather than object,'€ he said.

In fact, he has painted all the female figures in this exhibition as subjects, rather than objects.

Sudigdo says that painting women as objects means their existence is solely to give pleasure to the viewers.

'€œI use the women in my paintings as subjects who tell their stories through their poses and facial expressions,'€ Sudigdo said.

Viewers may agree or disagree with his views, but his works will provide much food for thought.

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