Thursday, October 13, 2016

Ulasan Beberapa Karya dalam Pameran Jati Diri: Periskop Seni Rupa Indonesia





Maka Lahirlah Angkatan '66
The mid-1960s was a particularly difficult period for Indonesia. The country was suffering from an economic and political crisis. Sudjojono depicted the people’s frustration during that time in his 1966 painting Maka Lahirlah Angkatan '66 (“Hence Was Born the 1966 Generation”). A young student wearing a red jacket stands in the midst of buildings around the Hotel Indonesia and billboards filled with graffiti. He is holding a can of paint in his hands, offering a clue of the authorship of the graffiti.

On this canvas, Sudjojono wrote: 




     With all his means,
     with all his might,
     this young conveyor of the people's voice says
     "In the name of Ampera"

Still employing his Realist approach in featuring one person as the main subject matter, he uses the single figure to represent Ampera (acronym for Amanat Penderitaan Rakyat / The Aspiration of the People’s Suffering), which the Republic of Indonesia proclaimed to serve. Sudjojono smartly used the image of the students who were outraged at Sukarno and the PKI, but at the same time were still on the side of the people.


Maka Lahirlah Angkatan ’66 was probably one of the only paintings with a political message that Sudjojono painted in the period immediately following the abortive G30S PKI Coup and the early period of what became known as the New Order in Indonesian politics. Another work entitled Prambanan was a revision of the 1949 painting known as Seko (“Guerilla Vanguard”). In the later painting, the artist seemed to rethink his 1950s concept of Realism. Instead of depicting the militiaman as a heroic figure standing intrepidly in front of war-torn ruins as he did in the earlier painting, here the figure cautiously crouches, deliberating whether or not it is safe for him to proceed in crossing the street. Apologetically, he inscribes on the canvas: “We had no choice but to burn down the Chinese shophouses. What else could we do, for the sake of victory.” He further notes that it was modelled on his original July 1949 sketch which included the crossing of the street. It seems that he was trying to depict the situation more realistically than the idealistic version of almost twenty years earlier.











Perempuan di atas Bukit
Into the painting Sudjojono incorporated elements that are clearly derived from the landscapes of the area around his childhood hometown of Kisaran, or perhaps even Lake Toba, also in North Sumatra, and the hills and valleys of Java and Bali. On the upper right part of the painting, peaks of the roofs of the meru structures of a Balinese temple can be seen appearing in what seems like a mountainous region. Although there may be some parts of Indonesia and even Bali where mountains are so very close to the sea, but Sudjojono’s landscape in this painting is not a mere rendition of a view that is readily available in reality. It is only a reality in his mind, but now it has become a reality in this painting.

The woman closest to the viewer is Rose Pandanwangi, the artist’s wife, who wears a baju bodo traditional dress from Makassar, her birthplace. Standing next to her is another woman who bears resemblance to Rose. In fact she is also modeled by Rose, but painted significantly fairer than the woman in the baju bodo. Born Rosalina Wilhelmina Poppeck, Rose is of mixed Makassarese and European descent. In this second woman, Sudjojono presents her more as a Indo-European woman, dressed in a white summer dress. Behind the two figures stands a younger woman who appears more Indonesian and appropriately wears a kebaya and kain panjang. She is modeled by Rose’s daughter Sara Sri, from her marriage to her first husband, Jack Sumabrata.

The depiction of Rose Pandanwangi as two figures, one as a woman dressed in traditional Makassarese clothing and the other as a woman dressed in modern Western clothing, along with her daughter behind the two figures seem to express the artist’s admiration of his wife and family.






High Level 1970

Dalam melukis, Sudjojono menggunakan dua gaya. Untuk yang serius, dia gunakan pendekatan realisme yang didalamninya terutama pada tahun 1950an.


Selain itu, dia juga mengguakan gaya karikaturistik, terutama ketika melukis komentar sosial, seperti dalam lukisan ini. Ia sangat terkesan pada gaya individual orang-orang yang berbeda-beda. Seringkali, lukisannya menjadi kenangan tentang tata busana dan penampilan khas pada jamannya, misalnya popularitas corduroy, sepatu boots, serta penggunaan cigarette holder, yang merupakan pernyataan fashion jaman itu







Seko


Another work entitled Prambanan was a revision of the 1949 painting known as Seko (“Guerilla Vanguard”). In the later painting, the artist seemed to rethink his 1950s concept of Realism. Instead of depicting the militiaman as a heroic figure standing intrepidly in front of war-torn ruins as he did in the earlier painting, here the figure cautiously crouches, deliberating whether or not it is safe for him to proceed in crossing the street. Apologetically, he inscribes on the canvas: “We had no choice but to burn down the Chinese shophouses. What else could we do, for the sake of victory.” He further notes that it was modelled on his original July 1949 sketch which included the crossing of the street. It seems that he was trying to depict the situation more realistically than the idealistic version of almost twenty years earlier.



Sunday, July 17, 2016

Historiografi Seni Rupa Indonesia: Antara Ketidaktelitian dan Ketidakpedulian



Historiografi Seni Rupa Indonesia: Antara Ketidaktelitian dan Ketidakpedulian






Dalam tulisan berjudul Tiga Sudjojono yang terbit di harian Jawa Pos hari Minggu, 10 Juli 2016 yang lalu, penulisnya menyerang ketidaktelitian saya menulis judul sebuah karya Sudjojono sebagai Di Depan Kelamboe Terboeka, Di Balik Kelamboe Terboeka dan Di Balik KelambuTerbuka sebagai "kemanasukaan" yang menurutnya merupakan "sabur limburnya kebenaran" dalam buku S: Sudjojono: Visible Soul yang saya tulis. Digunakannya tiga cara penulisan judul karya pelopor seni rupa modern Indonesia itu saya akui sebagai keteledoran saya. Tapi, kalau pengkritik itu bermaksud untuk membuat buku itu sama sekali tidak layak digunakan sebagai referensi, saya kira hal itu suatu upaya untuk mengangkat harkat dan martabatnya sendiri dengan cara merendahkan lawan yang tak pantas. Jelaslah bahwa penulis itu suka mencari-cari kesalahan kecil untuk mengemukakan suatu isu yang seolah-olah sangat penting. Kesalahan Agung Hujatnikajennong yang dalam bukunya Kurator dan Kuasa menulis tahun pembuatan karya Sudjojono itu sebagai tahun 1941 (padahal seharusnya tahun 1939), diungkitnya seolah kesalahan itu sangat fatal. Padahal tulisannya itu sebenarnya cukup tampil sebagai errata (koreksi salah tulis) belaka.
            Setelah mengatakan bahwa keteledoran saya yang seolah meremehkan judul bisa dianggap sebagai upaya memalsukan karya seni rupa itu, si penyerang itu malah bertutur bagaimana Umar Khayam pun tidak mengingat judul lukisan itu secara tepat. Namun, tentunya tidak berani menyalahkan sastrawan yang disebutnya sebagai mahaguru tersebut, Sama-sama kurang teliti, orang besar tetap tersanjung, sementara orang kecil dihujat. Itulah nasib.

            Ketelitian memang faktor yang sangat penting dalam penelitian, dan saya bukan bermaksud untuk menganggap bahwa keteledoran tidak perlu dihindari. Penulis akademis tentu kita perlu teliti dan tidak teledor. Namun, jika hasil kerja penulis yang sudah mendasarkan tulisannya pada penelitian dan sumber-sumber yang seprimer mungkin, ternyata teledor dan kurang teliti, apakah patut hasil penelitiannya sama sekali dianggap tidak berarti sama sekali? Di negara maju di mana editor profesional benar-benar mengambil peran sebagai penyunting yang handal dan selalu memeriksa kembali kebenaran fakta-fakta yang dituliskan dan menyelaraskan cara penulisan nama orang, judul karya atau tahun sebuah karya seni dibuat, tentunya keteledoran dan ketidaktelitian penulis bisa langsung teridentifikasi dan dikoreksi.
            Munculnya tiga cara penulisan judul dari satu karya yang konon melukiskan pelacur Pasar Senen yang sempat mendapat perhatian khusus dari Sudjojono tersebut , sebenarnya dikarenakan pelukisnya sendiri tidak membubuhkan judul pada karya itu. Rupanya, judul itu pertama muncul dalam ulasan Soetijoso tentang pameran lukisan Indonesia di Kunstkring Jakarta pada bulan Mei 1941 yang terbit pada majalah Poedjangga Baroe No. II Tahun VIII, Mei 1941, di mana penulis itu menyebut lukisan itu sebagai Di Depan Kelambu Terbuka (No. 42). Sayangnya, saya baru mendapatkan transkripsi digital dari terbitan itu dan belum mendapatkan salinan visual dari dokumen tersebut, sehingga ejaan yang digunakan juga belum dapat dipastikan. Juga belum jelas apakah judul itu merupakan judul yang didaftarkan pelukis kepada panitia, atau sekedar deskripsi yang dibuat panitia untuk memudahkan pengidentifikasian karya yang dipamerkan. Yang jelas, sejak itulah karya itu dikenal dengan judul tersebut.

             Judul Before the Open Kelambu sebagaimana dituliskan Claire Holt dalam bukunya Art in Indonesia: Continuities and Change mungkin terjemahan dari judul dari ulasan Soetijoso tersebut atau mungkin juga rekaan kritikus seni Jeanne de Loos-Haaxman yang dirujuknya. Sebenarnya, apakah yang dimaksud dengan "Before the Open Kelambu" itu di depan kelambu pada sebuah tempat tidur atau di balik kelambu yang hanya merupakan elemen ornamental yang menarik tidak pernah jelas. Mungkin Sudjojono malah bermaksud menempatkan perempuan itu secara visual berada persis di bawah bukaan kelambu sehingga tidak di depan atau pun di baliknya. Ketimbang mempersoalkan keteledoran penulisan judul karya itu, sebenarnya akanlah lebih menarik untuk menyelidiki lebih lanjut hubungan judul itu dengan istilah "buka kelambu" seperti yang muncul dalam Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk karya Ahmad Tohari, misalnya. Jika Sudjojono pun memang mengenal istilah "buka kelambu" tersebut, kelambu dalam lukisan itu malah menjadi elemen simbolis yang sangat bermakna.
           
            Para peneliti seni rupa tidak akan memungkiri bahwa historiografi seni rupa Indonesia bermasalah, dan hal ini mungkin dikarenakan banyak peneliti lebih suka mencari-cari kesalahan rekan-rekannya yang mereka anggap sebagai saingan dan musuh yang harus mereka kalahkan, agar diri mereka bisa lebih maju. Sampai saat ini, berdirinya Persatuan Ahli-ahli Gambar Indonesia (Persagi) belum dapat dipastikan apakah tahun 1937 atau 1938 karena belum ditemukannya sumber primer yang dapat menjadi rujukan yang definitif. Namun, pada catatan kaki dalam ulasan Soetijoso yang sudah disebutkan di atas, tertera bahwa perkumpulan itu didirikan didirikan pada 23 Oktober 1938. Terbitan itu mungkin merupakan rujukan yang paling dapat dipercaya hingga saat ini.
            Jika kita memang benar-benar prihatin pada permasalahan historiografi seni rupa Indonesia, kita sebenarnya sangat perlu mempermasalahkan metodologi beberapa kurator mengkurasi pameran seni rupa dan membentuk teori-teori dan narasi yang sama sekali tidak berdasar? Mengapa ketidaktelitian begitu cepat disimpulkan sebagai kemanasukaan, sedangkan dibentuknya teori dengan semena-mena berdasarkan khayalan spekulatif dan tidak relevan dan berlebihan tanpa kepedulian pada otentisitas karya terus ditolerir? Kalau memang peduli, marilah kita bersama-sama membangun historiografi seni rupa Indonesia yang lebih baik secara dewasa. Kita bukan hanya harus lebih teliti, tapi juga harus lebih peduli.

--Amir Sidharta




Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Mella Jaarsma pamerkan karyanya di Embassy of Spirits di Bienale Sydney ke-20

20th Biennale of Sydney unveils works by 83 artists from 35 countries

Mella Jaarsma pamerkan karyanya di Embassy of Spirits di Bienale Sydney

Artists exhibiting at the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Embassy of Spirits explore the intersection between the spiritual and the philosophical, including works concerned with personal and religious rituals. Works presented at the Embassy of Spirits by Johanna
Calle, Sheila Hicks, Mella Jaarsma, Jumana Manna, Sudarshan Shetty, Taro Shinoda and Nyapanyapa Yunupingu can also be considered in conversation with the Gallery's rich collection of Asian and Indigenous Australian artworks.

> 20th Biennale of Sydney unveils works by 83
> artists from 35 countries presented across seven
> 'Embassies of Thought'
>  
>  
>
> Sydney, Australia: The 20th Biennale of Sydney: The future is already here — it's just not evenly distributed was unveiled today by Artistic Director Stephanie Rosenthal. 
>
> The Asia Pacific region's largest contemporary visual arts event features 83 artists hailing from 35 countries and is presented free to the public across seven venues or 'Embassies of Thought' and multiple 'in-between spaces' around the inner city, from Friday 18 March until 5 June 2016. The exhibition is supplemented by a comprehensive schedule of public programs including daily guided tours, artist and curator-led talks, lectures, workshops, salons, reading groups and gatherings. 
>
> Artistic Director Stephanie Rosenthal commented: "The 'Embassies of Thought' in the 20th Biennale have been conceived as temporary settings without set borders, representing transient homes for constellations of thought. The themes associated with each of these
> 'embassies' are inspired by the individual histories of each venue, whilst the 'in between' spaces speak to one of the key ideas in this Biennale exploring the distinction between the virtual and the physical worlds. We're asking visitors to consider our interaction with the
> digital world, as well our displacement from and occupation of spaces and land, along with the interconnections between politics and financial power structures."
>
> The Biennale's seven 'Embassies of Thought' are: Cockatoo Island (Embassy of the Real); Art Gallery of New South Wales (Embassy of Spirits); Carriageworks (Embassy of Disappearance); Artspace (Embassy of Non-Participation); Museum of Contemporary Art
> Australia (Embassy of Translation); a roving bookshop (Embassy of Stanislaw Lem) and first time venue Mortuary Station (Embassy of Transition). 
>
> Performance is an integral part of the 20th Biennale, presented at each embassy and at in-between locations by artists including: boychild, Boris Charmatz, Neha Choksi, Mette Edvardsen, Mella Jaarsma, Lee Mingwei, Adam Linder, and Justene Williams, who is collaborating with Sydney Chamber Opera.
>
> More than half of the 200 artworks in the exhibition have been specially commissioned for the 20th Biennale of Sydney. More than a third of artworks are presented at venues in Sydney's inner west.
>
> In addition to artworks presented across the seven embassies, the 20th Biennale commissioned twelve site-specific projects taking place at locations throughout inner Sydney, including a new work by Swedish artist Bo Christian Larsson that will unfold over the course of
> three months at Camperdown Cemetery. In a former gallery space in Redfern, artist collective Brown Council (Frances Barrett, Kate Blackmore, Kelly Doley and Diana Smith) present a new participatory performance about how we recall the past and imagine the future.
>
> Carriageworks, the Embassy of Disappearance brings together works by artists exploring themes of absence and memory, including disappearing languages, histories, currencies and landscapes. Artists presenting work at this Embassy include Lauren Brincat, Neha Choksi, Yannick Dauby and Wan-Shuen Tsai, Minouk Lim, Yuta
> Nakamura, Jamie North, Bernardo Ortiz, Mike Parr and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
>
> The 20th Biennale of Sydney Keynote Address will be presented by leading performer, choreographer and radical innovator of dance, Boris Charmatz, on Saturday 19 March at Carriageworks. Over the past twenty years he has explored the relationship between art
> and philosophy, challenging preconceived notions of dance in the process. Charmatz has presented work in numerous contexts internationally – in theatres, festivals, and at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Tate Modern, London. Tickets to the Keynote Address also include entry to a one-off performance and Australian premiere of Charmatz's work manger (2014).
>
> Cockatoo Island hosts the Embassy of the Real, with the former convict settlement and shipyard offering a space for artists to explore how we perceive reality in our increasingly digitised era. Artists will consider the spaces between the virtual and physical, as well as the
> physicality of the human body, with major works by Korakrit Arunanondchai, Lee Bul, Cevdet Erek, Cécile B. Evans, William Forsythe, Camille Henrot, Chiharu Shiota, Ming Wong, and Xu
> Zhen (Produced by MadeIn Company). 
>
> Artists exhibiting at the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Embassy of Spirits explore the intersection between the spiritual and the philosophical, including works concerned with personal and religious rituals. Works presented at the Embassy of Spirits by Johanna
> Calle, Sheila Hicks, Mella Jaarsma, Jumana Manna, Sudarshan Shetty, Taro Shinoda and Nyapanyapa Yunupingu can also be considered in conversation with the Gallery's rich collection of Asian and Indigenous Australian artworks.
>
> The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is transformed into the Embassy of Translation, bringing together a selection of works that contextualise historical positions, concepts and artefacts, alongside contemporary concerns and working methods. While relying on a range of different strategies, each work considers history as one material among others, restaging and reimagining it as part of the process. Artists presenting work at the MCA include Nina Beier, Noa Eshkol, Helen Marten, and Dayanita Singh.
>
> The Embassy of Non-Participation is located at Artspace in Woolloomooloo, a former artists' squat now renowned as a site for experimentation. For the 20th Biennale of Sydney, artist duo Karen Mirza and Brad Butler have taken over Artspace, considering the act of 'nonparticipation' as an active and critical position. 
>
> A first time venue for the Biennale of Sydney, Mortuary Station in Chippendale has been reimagined as the Embassy of Transition. Works by two artists, Marco Chiandetti and Charwei Tsai will be shown here, and in different ways they each engage with cycles of life and death, as well as rites of passage.
>
> The Embassy of Stanislaw Lem which takes form as a roving book-stall, that will reappear at various locations throughout the Biennale. Chong's work develops out of a process of accumulation; he has gathered together second-hand copies of Polish science
> fiction author Stanislaw Lem's books (in both English and Polish), which will be available for visitors to both peruse and purchase.
>
> To view more detailed information on performances, activities and programs initiated by artists in the 20th Biennale of Sydney please visit 20bos.com.
>
> DOWNLOAD THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE
>
> MEDIA CONTACTS: For further information and to request interviews and images relating to the 20th Biennale of Sydney, please contact:
>
> Kym Elphinstone  
> E kym@articulatepr.com.au 
> T +61 421 106 139
>
> Susanne Briggs
> E susanne@articulatepr.com.au 
> T +61 412 268 320
>
> Jasmine Hersee  
> E jasmine@articulatepr.com.au
> T +61 406 649 393
>
> International Media Enquiries
> Juan Sánchez  
> Rhiannon Pickles PR 
> E juan@picklespr.com
> T +44 788 223 7732
>
> MEDIA IMAGES: Please visit http://bit.ly/20BOS_MediaImages to access press images with captions.
>
> EVENT DETAILS: Entry to the Biennale of Sydney is free to the public from Friday 18 March until Sunday 5 June 2016.
>
> ABOUT THE BIENNALE OF SYDNEY:  Since its inception in 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has provided a platform for art and ideas, showcasing the work of nearly 1,700 artists from more than 100 countries. Today it is considered one of the leading international art events, recognised for commissioning and presenting provocative, thought provoking art from Australia and around the world. In 2014, the 19 th Biennale of Sydney attracted more than 623,000 visits. With 40 per cent of visits made by people from outside of Sydney, the Biennale holds an important place on both the national and international stage.
>
>  
>  
>  
> Share
> Image: 
> Lee Bul
> 'Willing To Be Vulnerable', 2015–16
> heavy-duty fabric, metalised film, transparent film, polyurethane ink, fog machine, LED lighting, electronic wiring
> dimensions variable
> Courtesy the artist
> Installation view of the 20th Biennale of Sydney at Cockatoo Island
> Created for the 20th Biennale of Sydney
> Photographer: Ben Symons
>
> Email sent by Biennale of Sydney Ltd, Level 4, The Arts Exchange, 10 Hickson Road, The Rocks NSW 2000 Australia. 
> This email was sent to [email address suppressed]. You are receiving this eNewsletter because you subscribe to the Biennale of Sydney eNewsletter, or because you elected to receive emails from us through the website, email or request. 
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Thursday, January 7, 2016

'Art Speaks Out' at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art

 

'Art Speaks Out'
at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art



 
'Time is a warning. Time also as a signifier: day-night, birth-death,  age, historical or socio-cultural events.
The value of the time does not only affect the human being, but also to environment and cosmic's harmony. Outsmarting the time is an essential thing of human's spiritual and ecological responsibility
to himself and Universe. It is a critique on human's destructive behavior against the
environment and the harmony of time and space mechanism of the Universe
 
'Demi Masa', a video by Arya S.Putra

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Art Speaks Out will be screened at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
as part of the exhibition TILL IT'S GONE on January 13 - June 5, 2016


Participants: 
Roger Ackling, Bas Jan Ader, Alper Aydın, Bingyi, Jasmin Blasco and Pico Studio, Charles A. A. Dellschau, Elmas Deniz, Mark Dion, Hamish Fulton, Francesco Garnier Valletti, Rodney Graham, ikonoTV "Art Speaks Out", Lars Jan, Mario Merz, Maro Michalakakos, Joni Mitchell, Yoko Ono*, Camila Rocha, Canan Tolon, Pae White


Curators: Çelenk Bafra and Paolo Colombo



www.artspeaksout.ikono.tv
www.istanbulmodern.org









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