Rooted in tradition: Eddy Susanto's Madyapada Keabadian is inspired by the Javanese myth of Batara Kala.

Two Indonesian artists — Eddy Susanto and Eldwin Pradipta —have taken a stab at the relevance of mythology in a scientific age, and arguably at the modern myths of the current era.

Simply titled “Eclipse”, the joint exhibition is held at Galeri Salihara, South Jakarta, until Dec. 7 in collaboration with Bandung-based ArtSociates. An artists’ talk show followed by a curatorial tour is scheduled for Nov. 21.

Exhibition curator Asmudjo J. Irianto told The Jakarta Post that the theme was borne from Eddy’s artworks theme of eternity, which drew on the legend of Batara Kala from Javanese mythology.

In the myth, written in the Adiparwa texts dating back as far as the year 998, the giant Batara Kala was said to be the cause of eclipses, stemming from his grudge against Batara Surya and Batara Candra — gods of the sun and moon respectively.

In the search for Tirta Amerta — equivalent to the fountain of youth — Batara Kala was able to drink the liquid halfway down his throat when he was beheaded by Wisnu, who was alerted to this perceived transgression by Batara Candra and Batara Surya. 

This granted immortality to Batara Kala’s head, and since then he will periodically try to get revenge by devouring the sun or the moon. The Javanese people would try to ward off the calamity by banging household items so that Batara Kala would regurgitate the celestial bodies, a ritual that some still adhere to this day.

Asmudjo noted people in the days before widespread scientific knowledge would be concerned with eclipses, which would explain the large number of myths regarding the phenomenon.

“It’s rather interesting because to make sense of the situation, they created the myth to help them understand even though it was their own creation in the first place. 

Sacred gate: The entrance to the installation is a round teak door inscribed with Javanese script and parts of Theodor de Bry’s 1594 engraving Christopher Columbus Arrives in America.

“Modern humans would see this as naive, but they also live in myths. There are lots of events which we will readily believe without having the ability to explain, such as fake news and hoaxes,” he said. 

Eddy’s installation in question, Madyapada Keabadian, is an immersive experience in the form of an enclosed space. 

Visitors enter the space through a round teak door inscribed with numerous Javanese scripts, which depicts the arrival of Christopher Columbus to Jamaica through parts of Theodor de Bry’s 1594 engraving Christopher Columbus Arrives in America.

Eddy said he wanted to juxtapose mythology and scientific knowledge, which he said was used by Columbus to his advantage while stranded in Jamaica by using his astronomical knowledge to correctly predict a lunar eclipse and mesmerize natives.

“It’s like a balancing act between rationality and spirituality; they both need the other to complement each other,” he said.

The gate itself was drawn from the Javanese belief that postulates that a gate is the end of human journey. Eddy also highlighted the title of Madyapada, which he said was the in-between realm before birth and after death.

“For the Javanese, the door is sacred in a way that it is where their ancestors will come visit. If there are no doors, no knowledge can come in and everything will be dark.”

The experience upon entering the space is very much in line with that, as the chamber gets darker when the door is closed, as if simulating an eclipse. At the same time, visuals depicting the tale of Batara Kala are displayed, accompanied by a recording of a sinden (traditional Javanese singer) performing the Wedhatama tembang.

Modernity: Eldwin Pradipta's The Price Goes Up Next Monday takes on the mythical elements in the contemporary art scene.

“The central message I wanted to convey is that there is no such thing as eternity and immortality. It is only a myth, even though we see many products promising transhumanist ideas through capitalism,” Eddy said.

On the flip side, Eldwin’s series of six artworks entitled The Price Goes Up Next Monday tackles something more contemporary, highlighting the perceived myth in the art scene itself.

The works are composed of mini projectors casting a red dot to a screen across it. The red dot gradually enlarges into a sphere, at which point a human shadow obstructs it. The sequence ends as the sphere vanishes, and ready to begin again in a continuous cycle.

The symbolism might not be readily apparent to those unfamiliar with the art world, but a red dot at an art exhibition indicates that a particular work has been sold.

Eldwin said the work was a metaphor to Batara Kala swallowing and regurgitating the sun and moon, in this case referring to art collectors who snatch up artworks and thus take them out of the public view, before letting them resurface several years down the line to make a profit.

“It’s a response to or criticism of collectors who buy the artworks not because they like or respect the artists but as a mere commodity to invest in,” he said.

The irony of the artworks being displayed in an event that collectors will attend is not lost on Eldwin, though he noted that his works in the last year tended to criticize the commercial market in the art world.

“The funny thing is, even though the works have that critical message, the collectors still snatch them up. Some did feel that they’re not that kind of collector, hence their interest in the artwork and its message.” (ste)

I see a silhouette of a man: The figure in the projection represents art collectors, who can cause an eclipse by taking artworks out of the public eye.

Photos courtesy of Komunitas Salihara/Widhi Witjak Cahya