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Commissioned artists capture message of ARTJOG
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Home favorite: Visitors crowd ARTJOG 2012 in Yogyakarta. That year the art fair presented commissioned works by two artists, I Made Widya Dwiputra and Joko D. Avianto. (ARTJOG/File)
The artwork of a commissioned artist has colored the entrance to the ARTJOG venue each year since 2010.
Initially, the artworks were intended to enliven the stiff façade of the venue, but as time has gone by, the artworks by each year’s commissioned artist have become icons of the annual event.
The approach is somewhat unusual in Indonesia, and such works were not featured at ARTJOG when it was first established in 2008. The artworks first appeared at ARTJOG 2010 when Eko Nugroho draped the façade of the Yogyakarta Cultural Park (TBY) with murals.
Since then, the annual art event has sought out notable artists to physically alter the appearance of the venue. One year, the commissioned artist even had to excavate soil in front of the TBY building to decorate the entrance. Another year, the commissioned artist covered the entire façade with iron sheeting to create a huge installation.
These undertakings all send the same message; that the festival continues to have something different to offer.
The “tradition” continued when the venue was moved to the Jogja National Museum, (JNM) in Gampingan, Wirobrajan district, Yogyakarta, some 2 kilometers to the west of TBY, in 2016.
This year, the organizers have invited Mulyono to work on the entrance to the exhibition area at JNM to capture this year’s theme, “Enlightenment: Toward Various Futures”.Mulyana’s artwork will be an icon of the 11th ARTJOG, which will be held for one month from May 4 to June 4.
“After a long discussion with the curator team, we finally chose Mulyono and his knitted works to realize the enlightenment theme,” ARTJOG’s initiator Heri Pemad said.
“We will create a diamond shape containing the undersea world along with a 7 meter-long model of a whale,” he added.
Pemad said that by adopting the spirit of enlightenment, art could help develop the critical powers of viewers so that they became aware of the problems that surrounded them and could take human beings toward various futures.
One of ARTJOG’s curators, Bambang Toko Witjaksono, said a long discussion was always held to choose a theme that best captured the present moment. This time around, they considered the present social and political situation, both nationally and globally.
“The theme of enlightenment seems to be very suitable with the present situation in Indonesia,” Bambang said.
He said it was the task of an artist to participate in criticizing the nation through quality artworks. Last year, under the theme of “Changing Perspectives”, commissioned artist Wedhar Riyadi transformed the front yard of the JNM into a pool, where he displayed his work entitled Floating Eyes.
Through the sculpture, Bambang said both the curators and the artist wanted to critique those parts of Indonesian society that remained narrow minded in terms of religious perspectives.
“We wanted to expand the views and the horizon of those who still show fanaticism against a particular ideology,” he said, adding that people needed to open their eyes so they would not become fanatical.
The same critique was also made at ARTJOG 2014, amid the chaotic social, economic and political condition the country faced ahead of the year’s presidential election. To describe the situation, Bambang said the organizers of ARTJOG 2014 chose “Legacy of Power” as the theme, and commissioned artist Samsul Arifin, who changed the façade of the TBY building to resemble the State Palace in Jakarta.
Samsul also used figures made of fiber sacks, also known as goni, to reflect the photo session held after a new cabinet is announced and inaugurated. The work was entitled Goni Cabinet.
The work of each year’s commissioned artist is also expected to serve as an introduction to visitors as they engage with other artworks conveying the same theme. It functions as somewhat of a symbol for the event.
This tradition has added an extra dimension to the event since ARTJOG 2010 with Eko Nugroho as the first commissioned artist, followed by Eddy Prabandoro in 2011, Angki Purbandono in 2012, Iwan Effendi featuring Papermoon Puppet Theater in 2013, Samsul Arifin in 2014, Indieguerillas in 2015, Venzha Christ in 2016, Wedhar Riyadi in 2017 and now Mulyono.
Bambang said the curator team and the commissioned artist sat together to discuss the artwork, its placement, construction, lighting, and other small details such as whether it would look good for taking selfies.
“Bambang said the commissioned artworks had become a special character of ARTJOG.
“They have become a showpiece and entrance gate to viewing the latest contemporary Indonesian art,” Bambang Toko said.
