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Jupri Abdullah: Freedom on his mind
Jupri AbdullahFor this artist, an abstract painting echoes the rhythm of freedom
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Jupri Abdullah
For this artist, an abstract painting echoes the rhythm of freedom. He is free to be himself and speak the truth.
While painting on Parangtritis Beach in Yogyakarta, Jupri Abdullah felt the mystical forces of nature, which he believed was how mythical queen Nyai Roro Kidul revealed herself to him.
He was not frightened, but felt immense gratitude. After arriving home, he painted his encounter with the guardian of the southern sea and called it Keberkahan Ritual Parangtritis (Blessing of the Parangtritis Ritual).
His visualization of the queen is unlike maestro Basoeki Abdullah’s masterpiece that portrays her as a beautiful lady with long hair clad in a traditional long-sleeved green blouse.
Jupri’s painting is abstract with splashes of various colors poured and dripped across the canvas.
His works were recently exhibited at the cultural center, Balai Budaya Jakarta, in Central Jakarta. Curated by Kuss Indarto, the exhibition titled Rhythm of Freedom featured 18 abstract paintings, which at glance follow the style of drip paintings by American painter Jackson Pollock.
“I choose to be free and abstract paintings liberate me,” Jupri said, defining freedom as being unobstructed in expressing feelings or in living life.
The father of three, who hails from Pasuruan in East Java, has a studio at home, but he often leaves it because he likes to paint in nature while observing things that happen in his daily life.
His painting, entitled Sabung Ayam (Cockfighting), for example, tells of cockfight gambling that he says are still rampant in his hometown, especially in the mountainous areas. Expressing his anxiety, the painting is dominated by splashes of red paint that resemble the blood of fighting cocks, according to the artist, who says the color can be also be defined as the symbol of violence.
Jupri said people in Pasuruan understood that sabung ayam was against the law, but they could not resist it.
“The sum of money they are gambling is in the hundreds of millions,” he added.
They would not allow anyone to capture the event in pictures, including paintings. At first they were suspicious of him but after checking his painting they let him continue because what they saw was only splashes of paint on the canvas.
“If I had told them that the painting was about sabung ayam, I would have been beaten,” he said, laughing.
Jupri was born on Feb. 23, 1963, in Pasuruan into a family without art in its genes. His father was a bike mechanic, while his mother was a stay-at-home mom.
The journey of the self-taught artist began in the 1990s, a period when freedom of expression was still highly restrained.
“I wanted to resist, but [as a painter] I was still a baby at that time,” he said. “But, today, my brush speaks up.”
An activist at heart, Jupri finds ways to express his protests through his paintings. A week after the Lapindo mudslide in Sidorajo, East Java, in May 2006, for example, 100 painters, including Jupri, used the mud as paint to express their objection to a claim that said the incident had been a natural disaster.
“That was the result of human greed,” he exclaimed.
In 2009, he initiated a rally, entitled Pasuruan Berburu Tikus (Pasuruan Hunts for Rats), during which he and 49 painters across the province painted in front of the Pasuruan Prosecutor’s Office to slam corrupt officials, including former regent Dade Angga.
“I painted the City Hall with many rats, with the biggest one hiding,” he said, associating corruptors with rats. He was happy that after the rally, the regent was arrested.
His next painting project is themed Kiai Amplop (envelop clerics). He uses the term to describe self-acclaimed clerics who preach for money and popularity. Jupri said he had discussed the idea with renowned Muslim scholar Emha “Cak Nun” Ainun Najib.
“Today, clerics are celebrities like those who appear on TV,” he said, questioning why people could be easily called kiai nowadays. “They have misused verses from the Koran to make money.”
Jupri said the term kiai amplop also included Islamic political party politicians who often spoke about Islam, but were later involved in corruption. He was referring to former religious affairs minister and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali who embezzled the country’s haj funds.
For him, one of the true clerics in the country is Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid who freed minorities from discrimination. He is happy to have painted the soles of the former president’s feet at his house after he was impeached in 2001.
Jupri said he liked to have discussions with various people, including public figures, not only to be inspired, but also to get a better understanding of freedom and the country’s problems.
Kuss Indarto, the curator of Rhythm of Freedom, said Jupri’s creative process, therefore, did not come from an empty room. He added that Jupri’s paintings contained many narrations and ideas even if though they were abstract.
For the artist, art is not purposeless and senseless.
“In his creative work, he shows a clear effort to release himself from [the French slogan] l’art pour l’art [art for art’s sake],” Kuss said, adding that Jupri used artwork as a medium for empowerment.
— Photos by A. Kurniawan Ulung
