Telling the nation: The Negeri Dongeng Nusantara (Nusantara fairyland) exhibition at Kemang's Dia.Lo.Gue, which runs until Aug. 20, brings to life the stories of our nation through a series of illustrations from works of children's literature.

The Negeri Dongeng Nusantara (Nusantara fairyland) exhibition takes us on a journey far, far away, yet it is somewhere close to our childhood memories.

When we were younger, chances are we were read stories about young princes and princesses, animals who talked, danced, and raced and knights and warriors who fought monsters to save the day. The stories came from books, books that contained pictures which communicated the reality — or in this case fantasy — of the stories, making us keen to read on and subconsciously absorb the moral lessons.  

Yet, as we grow older, these books are often cast aside. Left to yellow and gather dust, they are thrown away in places where no one thinks of them — basements, attics and donation boxes. Their art — a word that most people do not associate with such books — goes unappreciated and they become fillers for libraries.

This is why the Society for the Advancement of Children’s Literature (KPBA) has organized the Negeri Dongeng Nusantara exhibition to showcase illustrations from books the group has published.

Held for the group’s 30th anniversary, the exhibition aims to remind the public that such books are also pieces of art.

Held at the Dia. Lo. Gue art space in Kemang, South Jakarta, from Aug. 4 to 20, the exhibition features 37 illustrations from various books. The group has a total of 65 illustrations but due to space limitations, it could only display half of the collection.

When you walk into the art space you are greeted by a number of enlarged illustrations neatly displayed on the white walls, grouped according to the stories they feature, with four glass-covered tables along the wooden platform holding physical copies of the books that KPBA helped publish.

A map of Indonesia is displayed under the names of the six selected illustrators whose work is proudly displayed — Denny A. Djoenaid, Suyadi, GM Sudarta, Hardiyono, Isnaeni MH and I Ketut Nama — with the map displaying where each of the folktales came from.

Pieces include a series of illustrations for Putri Mandalika (Princess Mandalika), a tale originating from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which was illustrated by Isnaeni MH. The series exemplifies a very stylized art style, especially in comparison to the mass-produced artwork of modern children’s books, which often lean heavily toward comic book influences.

Visualizing the imagination: A series of illustration by Isnaeni MH from the Putri Mandalika (Princess Mandalika) folk tale.

The series, for example, is done using colored pencils on paper, giving a childlike sense of a dream state that lends itself to the tale of the princess, who sacrifices herself to prevent two princes who love her from going to war.  

“Good, artistic illustrations are important. Children learn about art. For folktales, its important because when they read, people will be reading about culture, about the environment, about architecture, about humans, about many things. There is an element of education if the art has quality and is adequate,” KPBA founder Murti Bunanta said during a recent interview with The Jakarta Post.

Established 30 years ago, KPBA encourages people to love books not just intellectually but also physically. As a children literature specialist, Murti herself keeps a library of over 33,000 books from 30 different countries in a house dedicated to the preservation of such works.

Murti believes that children’s literature is interesting because it incorporates many disciplines — sociology, anthropology, linguistics, art and more. Unfortunately, not many people pay attention to the genre, she said.

“With children’s literature, a lot of people do not pay attention and very few realize its importance,” she explained.

Therefore, Murti hopes that the exhibition can push a younger generation of illustrators to raise the bar and show the world that Indonesia can produce quality books.

“I just hope that from this exhibition, our storytellers and illustrators can progress, creating better ideas and better stories that fulfill the needs of the Indonesian children of today,” she said.

— photos by Adil Akbar
The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

Popular

Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching

Govt to undo latest curbs on personal imports

Middle East on edge as Israel and Iran trade threats