20th August 2001

Hello from Yogyakarta

by Cynthia Webb

After seven very full weeks in Indonesia I am at last sending news of cultural activities, meetings with old friends and new. Life here in Yogya is definitely just one long unofficial “arts festival” for me. Apart from about twelve days while I had the flu I have been very busy indeed.

From left to right: Djoko, Noor Ibrahim, Nurkholis, Supar Madianto,
August 2001 (photo by Cynthia Webb).

BALI

To go back to the beginning, I arrived in Indonesia on 2nd July and my first six days were spent in Bali. During that week, I went up to Ubud twice, from Legian where I was based. The first time to attend the life drawing session at Pranoto’s Gallery on Wednesday afternoon, and again the following Saturday to attend the opening of their exhibition entitled “Kecil 2”.

This exhibition was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet old friends, on the one occasion.

At the party were my friends, Sony, painter from Petulu, Helmi Haska the writer and poet of Ubud, who is very active in the poets circle there, and of course Pranoto and Kerry Pendergrast. The “Kecil 2” exhibition has been advertised on the website already, so not much explanation is needed. The first exhibition, “Kecil” in the year 2000 was very successful, so once again the work of about 25 artists based in Ubud was on display.

There were many excellent works, and I was particularly impressed by the wonderful mixed media works of  Wayan Redika one of which I have purchased. He was the best selling artist on opening night… selling half of the eight works on display.

YOGYAKARTA

BAPAK SUDARSO, senior artist of Indonesia

Sawung Jabo is a very well known musician in Indonesia. Jabo's “other family” are his friends Gono and wife Tuti, at “Joglo Jago” in Wirosaban. Joglo Jago is home and studio of Gono, who is the youngest child of the respected senior artist Bapak Sudarso. Sudarso was a friend of Sukarno, and has an important place in the artistic history of Indonesia. He was one of the founders of Institute Seni Indonesia in Yogyakarta, and also founded a group called “The Peoples’ Painters”, back in the sixties. This included many now legendary artists. Bapak Sudarso’s paintings are included in the Sukarno Collection, part of which is currently being exhibited in Jakarta.

Sudarso is famous for his portraits of women. I met Bapak on the 25th July when Jabo invited me to Joglo Jago and Sudarso asked if I would be willing to sit as he wished to paint my portrait. This would be a turn of the tables for me, as I too am a portrait artist . Now it was my privilege and my turn to be the model! Bapak Sudarso was visiting Joglo Jago for a month or so, and this because it was his 87th birthday and a party had been organized for the night of 26th July. His eight children, all of whom are artists, were also in Yogya.

The party was a wonderful occasion, attended by all his friends and family and Bapak sat at the side of the Gallery area which also served as a concert stage, receiving his legions of well-wishers bearing congratulations and gifts. Musicians from Yogya, “KPJ” performed, and also Kroncong musicians. Some members of Sudarso’s family sang also.

Two days after the party, I went back there and Bapak began painting, after having Tuti find traditional kain and kebaya for me to wear. I was relieved to find that I was capable of sitting still for fairly long periods. This was my first experience modelling for an artist, and I know how it always upsets me when my model moves when the portrait is incomplete.

NURKHOLIS AND HIS WIFE HETY-NURANI

I have spent some wonderful times together with this artist couple who live at Madu-Kismo. The first time, Nurkholis came to collect me on his vintage BSA motor bike with side car, (one of a collection of five). However, when I saw the open side-car my courage deserted me, and we ended up taking a taxi. Gathered at their spacious studio-home were several other artist friends of Nurkholis. Hety served coffee and we nibbled peanuts, talked about art and had good times. I was looking forward to seeing the new work of Hety, who although she has three young children, has taken up painting again. She too is a graduate of ISI and last year I had encouraged her to try to commence painting again, now the children are a bit older and Nurkholis has had considerable success. I didn’t want her to feel “left behind”. We women must stick together! I also had a talk with Nurkholis about the importance of this and to his credit, he understood and is strongly encouraging Hety’s career. Hety’s work is vibrantly coloured, with flowing lines in the drawing and the subjects are all about “womens’ experience”. It is very personal and evocative of sisterhood.

The owner of ONE GALLERY in Jakarta, Mr Joannes has invited them to hold a “Family” Exhibition, because the children are all budding artists too. Hety proudly showed me a bundle of the drawings and paintings of the children and there is no doubt the talent is continuing in the next generation. Their ages are, 8 yrs, 7 yrs for the 2 boys, and their daughter is 6 years old.

During the last twelve months, since Nurkholis’ exhibition at Dirix Gallery, which revealed to the art world his new “period” - the Body Language works, he has had an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur at the Art Case Gallery. It was entitled "Rhythm of the Soul". Art Case Gallery is a rather personal sort of place, attached to a private home and was thought to be a good place to "test the water" in the conservative Malaysian society. Nurkholis' work created quite a sensation in Indonesia, and Malaysia is even more a sheltered society. There was an invitation only guest list on opening night. Before about one hundred guests Nurkholis did a demonstration of his method, (wearing a swimming briefs). He said he was "a living installation". This was combined with dancing and Javanese gamelan music. Nurkholis says he uses music at home when making the paintings, as it is good for stimulating his artistic emotion and inspiration. He likes Kitaro, Western classical music, Javanese traditional music, and sometimes rock music.

He also showed a video of the painting process, in which he appears naked and also creating a painting in love embrace with his wife. Please bear in mind readers, I have seen this video and it is in no way pornographic nor inappropriate in any way. It is filmed in low light and from a discreet distance, but it certainly serves to adequately show how the works are created and is extremely interesting to observe. Journalists who were invited to Art Case Gallery for the opening, reported favourably and during the following month a steady stream of members of the public came to see the works. Some wanted to see the video they had read about in the newspaper, however the answer was no. This was reserved strictly for the invited artlovers on opening night, just to be on the safe side. The magazine "Night and Day" called the works "very daring and controversial". 

Another critic said "No one in Malaysia makes this crazy art!" Some artists and critics took offence at the controversial aspects of the work. Nurkholis felt perhaps there was a little resentment because artists in Malaysia could never dare to do something like this themselves for fear of government disapproval. As a foreigner, Nurkholis felt safe, and no visits from the police occurred! Other young artists Nurkholis met, said they were bored with the stagnant state of painting in Malaysia, - referring to the limitations set by the conservative nature of the society.

Recently, 15th June to 1st July, there has been another exhibition in Jakarta at the Nadi Gallery, entitled "The Body" and curated by Jim Supangkat. This in company with his friend, painter Katirin who also paints the human form. Here too, the video was shown and people have said that having heard about it they were expecting something bordering on pornography, but after viewing the video they all say it is very different from what was in their imaginations. Many people in Jakarta have been curious about it for a year, since the first exhibition here in Yogyakarta a year ago. In Indonesia too, people are still conventional and say that Nurkholis' technique is controversial.

Following the exhibition of Nurkholis and Katirin, the "body theme" continued at Nadi Gallery, with an showing of the works of Murni.

At the present time Nurkholis is continuing with the same painting methods, however his new works incorporate some beautifully blended collage and so he is still developing the them. He says he is not bored with it yet, and feels he can still explore further. His previous works were vastly different, painted in very masterful technique by brush not body, and his skill and a draughtsman is clearly evident in those works I saw at his studio, from his previous period.

Nurkholis is a highly intelligent, strong and yet sensitive man with total commitment to art, and a strong sense of freedom. He is his own man, and will always follow his principles and pursue his truth through his art.

DJOKO PEKIK

On two occasions Nurkholis and friends have taken me to visit the neighbour DJOKO PEKIK, one of Indonesia's best known artists. These occasions are filled with hilarity, as we sit drinking tea or beer and chatting with Djoko who is quite a character. On the second visit, there were also other AIAA members, Carlos and Sinta De Haas from the CASA CASINTA Gallery in Prawirotaman. They had come with a couple from Belgium who were acting as intermediaries for galleries in Brussels and New York both of whom are interested in exhibiting Djoko Pekik’s work. The discussion was about the logistics and planning of the idea which is still only a proposal at the moment. After they left, Djoko produced beer instead of tea - the serious discussions were over and it was back to the hilarities!

ART EXHIBITIONS IN YOGYAKARTA

My young friend “Zul” a manager from the FM Resto Café in Jln Sosrowijayan has a sideline as a manger of artists’ careers and he has been taking me to visit some young “emerging artists”, and also to see exhibitions.

We went to an exhibition entitled ‘THE RETURN OF THE DEVI” by Heri Pemad which was a very different looking collection, than I usually see here in Yogya. These works seemed to have an look of Portugal, Mexico or Spain of 150 or more years ago. However perhaps they represent colonial Indonesia, showing influence of Europe. They are highly decorative, beautifully coloured paintings of women (Devi to Heri), in domestic environments. There are patterned tile floors, flowing brocade drapes, flowers, food and drinks on the tables, pets … rabbit, cats, dogs, and sometimes angels in the background. Arch ways or windows, appear behind the indoor settings and we seem to be inside the home, in sheltered and richly ornamented surroundings. It’s a beautiful world he has created.

Then back on the motorbike and off to a see a vastly different collection entitled ‘TIONGHOA DALAM BAYANGAN” by woman artist Wara Anindyah, another young ISI graduate. These works show the Chinese Indonesian community in various scenes from everyday life. The previous works by Heri Pemad had been so affectionate and welcoming, and now these were intensely disturbing, almost threatening. The faces all looked cruel, like charicatures, or sometimes like a falsely smiling mask, sometimes even like skulls, which shadowy sunken eye sockets and bony faces.

There were about 30 or more quite large works, all painted by this young mother of four, during the past twelve months. She was at her exhibition opening, carrying the youngest one in her selendang, and I was amazed by her hard work in achieving all this. My inadequate Bahasa Indonesia frustrated me this night, because I so wanted to know her thoughts/themes behind the works.” I think perhaps this involves a rather dangerous social/political area and it's hard to talk about. This of course makes it all the more tantalizing to me.

Apparently Wara and her husband also have a child who is a remarkably gifted young artist, already painting large canvases at a very young age.

EDDY SULISTYO AND HIS FATHER, SANTO

My friend Mahdi from the Rama Bookstore in Gg One, Sosrowijayan took me to visit his next door neighbours, Eddy Sulistyo (“Sulis”) and Bapak Santo. Eddy showed his paintings, and Santo is a batik artist, on both cotton textile and silk.

The paintings of twenty-three year old “Sulis” show a prodigious talent for draughtsmanship and also a very beautiful soul within. The works tell stories, and recount feelings from a very intelligent and spiritually sensitive young man. His explanations to me of the works were so beautiful and I was filled with admiration for him. Soon his works will be seen in the website of Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance as he has joined our alliance.

PERSONAL COMMENTS

In six days I will go to Malaysia to visit Cinzia, wife of my friend Ros. This Malaysian couple assisted Nurkholis to have his exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. Ros is an art gallery owner, and art collector and will soon be opening his own Gallery here in Yogyakarta.

I will return to Yogya again after my trip for more of the inspiring and stimulating life in this city of culture and art.

Something that I have noticed is that there is a sort of flow of events, to which I must just submit, and it is always good. In the morning when I wake up, while I drink coffee I make a plan in my room about what I will do when I go out. However, within five or ten minutes of emerging into the outside world, something else begins to happen. Perhaps I see a friend in a nearby café, who suggests another activity, or the handphone rings and before I know it, my Plan A is abandoned, and Plan B is implemented, and it’s always a better one, because it’s what was really supposed to happen that day. Once I have adopted Plan B, it brings with it a completely separate chain of events for the day, and one of my many joys here, is watching this “flow” of energy and participating to see where it will lead. I love to live in this “field of possibility” and surprises.