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Revisiting `The Last Supper'
"Revisiting The Last Supper" is an exhibition of 16 artists at CG Art Space, on show until April 12
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"Revisiting The Last Supper" is an exhibition of 16 artists at CG Art Space, on show until April 12.
The artists, who come from various backgrounds, ethnic groups and faiths, were invited to explore the theme, which evolved from the text in the Christian gospels to a painting executed by Leonardo da Vinci on the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, between 1495 and 1498.
(JP/Carla Bianpoen)
Leonardo's Last Supper is one of the key works in Western art history. It has been taken as the theme of numerous works by artists around the world, but the works by Mary Beth Edelson and Ren*e Cox stand out as hilarious. In Some Living American Women Artists/Last Supper, Mary Beth Edelson superimposed photographs of the heads of modern women over those of the disciples, with the photograph of Georgia O'Keefe's head taking the place in the center. And what can one say about Ren*e Cox' Yo Mama's Last Supper, featuring a montage of photographs of 12 black men, with one naked woman sitting in Jesus' place at the Last Supper?
In the exhibition organized by CG Art Space and Umah Seni, no such "casualties" are evident. Rather, the works in this exhibition are marked by a seriousness befitting the original story, but include elements to denote our present time.
J. Ariadhita Pramuhendra's large charcoal drawing, for instance, shows Jesus and his disciples, not sitting, but standing at the table. Using his own image and naked upper body, he renders all the figures the same, including Jesus, the only difference being in pose and movements; that the figures are drawn in equal dimensions brings home the message that all men are equal and none is higher or lower, a message similar to that from Chinese artist Miao Xiaochun, who made a 3-D digital model of his own body for his colossal work Last Judgment in Cyberspace, exhibited for the first time in 2006 at Walsh Gallery Chicago.
Meanwhile, Ariadhita's work, first launched in 2008 at Cemara-6 Gallery Jakarta, might have become familiar to many members of the public, yet its sheer size and imagery continue to stir and impress. In the absence of differences among the figures in Ariadhita's drawing, one might wonder which is Judas the betrayer.
Only Hamdan Omar, an artist from Malaysia, shows his anger. Why should a man like Judas have supper at the same table as the Master? Hey Judas, Here's Your Supper is the title of his charcoal drawing featuring a shoe swung or kicked in the direction of Judas. Hamdan Omar appears to have a fine understanding of human emotions. Sadness, confusion and inner turbulence mark the faces of the apostles in Hamdan's charcoal and acrylic work titled Betrayal.
It takes veteran artist Teguh Ostenrik to look beyond the gathering at the Last Supper where Jesus revealed the shocking news of betrayal by one of his apostles. Teguh ponders the scene after Jesus has left, when a buzz erupted in the room, with the disciples talking to each other, discussing or disputing the depressing news of betrayal.
Capturing the scene, After He Left evokes our sense of the time in which it happened, through Teguh's typical archaic style and the colors of his previous Homo sapiens series. By depicting the figures with masks, he denotes how everyone conceals his true nature. Remarkably, Teguh does not stop at that; rather, he signifies the link to the present with tangible tokens, juxtaposing the painting with a table of plain wood on which leftover food and uncleared plates give the impression that the diners had left in confusion.
The exhibition also includes a painting by Davy Linggar, a photographer who has lately tried his hand at painting.
His appropriation of the work by Jacopo Basanno of Venice shows the usual formation of the Last Supper, with the addition of bags of the most expensive brands today. Perhaps Davy Linggar wanted to comment on hypocrisy running high in almost every segment of life. There are also the excellent C-prints by Indra Leonardi, who made photographs of specially made installations featuring the holy supper.
Other artists in this exhibition are Agus "Kacrut" Sumiantara, Albert Yonathan, Amy Aragon, Beatrix Handriani Kaswara, Chandra Johan, Hanafi, Ronald Manullang and Tisa Granicia, the only one using ceramics.
Held to celebrate Easter, the sheer plurality of artists and the expression of their imagination make this otherwise very Christian occasion a point in time worth noticing.
Revisiting The Last Supper
CG Art Space
Plaza Indonesia 3rd Floor
Until April 12, 2009
