Indonesian artistic stalwart Jay Subiyakto has been making an impact with various audio-visual mediums, among them his most recent work No More Babies. Featured in the ARTJOG contemporary art festival in Yogyakarta’s Jogja National Museum, the installation piece portraying a gold and soft PVC baby skewered by steel rods simultaneously fixated and perplexed viewers, along with its take on contemporary issues such as overpopulation and Indonesia’s seemingly indecisive political leadership. 

Most of all, the installation piece perhaps warned of the burden these challenges will have on succeeding generations, as typified by the verse “No more babies, they belong in Nirvana”.

Collaborating with Chrisye 

While No More Babies might address the persistence of ongoing problems, the sculpture also reflected Jay’s longevity in Indonesian arts. The 62-year-old first made his mark in 1990, after he directed the music video for late Indonesian singer Chrisye’s hit “Pergilah Kasih” (Go, My Love). The clip broke new ground for international recognition of Indonesian music, as the video was the first of its kind to receive airtime on MTV Asia.

“Chrisye requested that I direct the video [for ‘Pergilah Kasih’] through his music label Musica, after he saw the music video I did for Sophia Latjuba’s single ‘Lihat Saja Nanti’ [Let’s See] in 1989,” he recalled to The Jakarta Post.

“MTV Asia had yet to screen Indonesian music videos, so I had to make the extra effort to ensure that they were as good as their foreign counterparts.”

Jay then stepped up his collaboration with Chrisye four years later by producing and directing a large-scale solo concert for the latter on one of the biggest stages for any Indonesian performer, namely the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). Titled Sendiri (Alone), the concert’s repertoire included Chrisye’s hits from the 70’s, such as “Kisah Cintaku” (Story of My Love) and “Malam Pertama” (Wedding Night). 

The show also involved acclaimed Indonesian conductor, Erwin Gutawa, an old friend of Jay’s since their days studying architecture at the University of Indonesia. The two hoped a concert at a venue better known for holding shows by foreign acts would raise the profile of Indonesian music in its own market.

“[Erwin and I] sought to prove that an entirely Indonesian crew can hold a large-scale concert at the Jakarta Convention Center by a solo Indonesian musician, with Indonesian cultural precepts to determine stage arrangements, visual mapping, as well as the design of lighting and choreography,” Jay said. 

“I chose Chrisye for the JCC concert because his hits fused pop and traditional Indonesian music for a new, groundbreaking sound. His work with the Guruh Gypsy band since the 1970s also lamented the displacement of Indonesian culture by foreign influences.” 

Jay also collaborated with Chrisye in two concerts in 1999 and 2003, prior to the latter’s passing in 2007. 

Inspired by Indonesia’s rich cultures

Jay’s work with Chrisye, as well as the concerts he produced and directed for other Indonesian musicians like Ruth Sahanaya, Krisdayanti and Titi DJ, a trio also known as 3Diva, established him as the preeminent impresario of concerts, musicals and TV shows in Indonesia and other parts of the world. Yet he wanted his shows to have a deeper meaning, rather than spectacles to dazzle and awe viewers.

“I instilled the importance of concerts to 3Diva and other musical acts, as shows, along with recording albums, are a way to prove their viability as artists to the Indonesian public,” he asserted.

“Most of all, the concerts should showcase the best of Indonesian culture and the country’s standing as a great nation.” 

Jay practiced what he preached, as he extended his stage work to critically acclaimed musicals inspired by traditional and contemporary Indonesian culture in cities such as Jakarta, Singapore, and Frankfurt in Germany. These include Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors), a musical based on the eponymously named 2008 film by Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana, and Matah Ati in 2010, as Ariah, which was performed in Jakarta’s National Monument (Monas) two years later. 

He extended his reach to photography, where he held a number of photo exhibitions between 2005 to 2013 in such venues as Jakarta’s National Museum and Sotheby’s auction house in Hong Kong.

“I aim to use Indonesian art and culture to make a work that is original and distinctive from other nations, and conserve our age-old traditions for future generations. I also avoid references to western culture to create a medium that has yet to be created by anyone else,” said Jay, whose influences include Indonesian filmmaker Usmar Ismail, and Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat. 

He also derived inspiration from architecture, particularly the works of Zaha Hadid and Geoffrey Bawa, as well as Indonesian architect Andra Matin. 

“Architecture is the source of all sciences, as it raises awareness of technique, the arts, history and anthropology. A good architect should be a dreamer who can bring about their visions through sheer mastery of the technical and artistic aspects of architecture.” 

Revisit a historical heart of darkness

While Jay might be synonymous with the bright lights of the stage as well as his virtuoso camerawork and artistic direction of the medium, he showed that he is equally adept moving through darker material by directing the documentary Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail. Released in 2017, the film chronicles Banda island’s major role in Indonesian history, an influence disproportionate to its small size.

The documentary recounts the Dutch East India Company’s (VOC) hostile takeover of the islands because of its spices, an event highlighted by the slaughter of the island’s elite and the ensuing genocide of the original inhabitants.

“I directed Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail so that we will not forget our past as a nation. Forgetting the past is the same as killing the nation’s future,” Jay asserted.

Yet he found a silver lining by highlighting the island’s role in forming the nationalist vision of founding fathers Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Syahrir, both of whom were exiled there by the Dutch between 1936 to 1942. 

“[Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir] first formulated the entity that would be known as Indonesia at Banda,” intoned Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian in the documentary. Among the precepts that both men drew up during their time in Banda was the drawing up of the Pancasila state ideology and their vision of an inclusive society.

As with his documentary on Banda, Jay found reason for optimism in Indonesian arts.

“Today there are many Indonesian artists who are successful internationally due to their talent and efforts, such as Laura Basuki and Kamila Andini in film, musicians Voice of Baceprot and Rich Brian as well as artists Eko Nugroho and Ay Tjoe Christine,” he said, balancing his observation with lament. 

“Each of them did their bit in raising Indonesia’s profile on the international stage with little fuss or fanfare, and are often overlooked by the Indonesian government or media. The achievements of these great people have been swept aside by influencers and youtubers who use social media to flood the public with shallow material that is marked by their lack of quality.”

Jay has yet to reveal his next work. But if his track record as an Indonesian renaissance man is any indication, whatever he has up his sleeve is definitely something worth looking forward to.