Siklus – curatorial

Siklus

Setelah penampilan bersama dalam tajuk ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ di Danes Art Veranda pada tahun 2007, kini empat perupa muda ini — Dewa Gde Agung, Rio Saren, I Wayan Januariawan alias Donald dan Putu Edy Asmara Putra – hadir dalam pameran bersama dalam tajuk ‘’Siklus’’ di Gaya Art Space. Bila pada ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ eksplorasi substantif para perupa muda ini – mereka masih mahasiswa di ISI (Institut Seni Indonesia) Denpasar — adalah hal-hal di seputar proses yang berkaitan dengan kelahiran, pada ‘’Siklus’’ mereka menghadirkan semacam potret diri tentang eksplorasi kreatif masing-masing, dengan gaya serta idealisme masing-masing pula.

Seumpama proses ketika tampil dalam ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ adalah masa-masa brahmacari, yakni masa nakal dan memberontak yang spontan dan sulit ditebak arahnya. Kini, penampilan di ‘’Siklus’’ ini seumpama tahapan menjelang grahasta, yakni masa ketika mereka menyiapkan diri naik pelamiman kreatif, kawin dengan kenyataan yang realistik di seputar kehidupan kesenian. Sisa-sisa nakal masa remaja dan brahmacari-nya masih terasa, dan barangkali kreativitas kesenimanan senantiasa membutuhkan semangat memberontak ini, kendati mereka sudah menjelang masuk masa grahasta secara kreatif. Sampai sejauh ini, pemberontakan dari sebagian mereka adalah perjuangan eksistensial, belum menjadi sesuatu yang mengguncang, baik jagat seni rupa yang heboh diantara fenomena ‘’wacana, pasar, artisanisme serta karya seni sebagai produk’’.

Pemberontakan paling radikal dilakukan oleh Wayan ‘’Donald’’ Januariawan. Bibit pemberontakan muncul secara radikal dalam beberapa karya yang ditampilkan di ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ dan semakin kentara dalam pameran ‘’Me Between Us’’ (2007) dan ‘’Silent Celebration’’ (2008) di Tony Raka Gallery Ubud, ketika ia sampai pada pernyataan bahwa ‘’karya-karyanya bukanlah produk’’. Ia menggunakan benda temuan — gedek rusak, bekas pintu, seng rombeng yang berkarat, kain bekas, plastik bekas, perlak tua, kampil bekas dan sejenisnya – sebagai medium, dan membiarkan karya-karyanya ‘’tidak pernah selesai’’. Ia coba mengangkat ‘’inner histori’’ dari benda-benda temuan itu dan merangsang ‘’inner beauty’’-nya muncul ke permukaan. Menghindarkan perlakuan dan pemanjaan terhadap karya-karyanya, ia tidak menyempurnakannya dengan properti yang lazim pada karya seni. Ia tidak membuatkan bingkai yang bagus dan kuat. Ia juga tidak memasang pengait untuk mempermudah display karyanya di ruang pameran. Prinsip Donald ini seakan ‘’menantang’’ sisi gemerlap dari seni rupa yang notabena adalah pasar, dimana berperan para art dealer, pemilik galeri, rumah lelang, art fair, kolektor maupun kolekdol (membeli untuk dijual lagi) dan lainnya. Kendati berbeda dengan jalan perupa lain yang memanfaatkan kecanggihan teknologi sebagai sarana mempermudah dan mempercepat ‘’produksi kreatif’’ dalam kerja-kerja seninya, Donald tidak dalam posisi yang secara sengaja menghantam dan menyerang. Ia memilih jalan ini karena merasa itulah prinsip yang cocok dan pas untuk saat ini.

Sosok muda lain adalah Putu Edy Asmara Putra. Bila Donald menghadirkan benda-benda usang, kotor berdebu sebagai ‘’perekam historis’’ dan hampir secara apa adanya, Edy mengeksplorasi ‘’inner beauty’’ dari benda, makhluk dan obyek-obyek yang sejatinya bisa mengundang rasa jijik. Ulat, cacing-cacing, genitalia perempuan ataupun lelaki, sedemikian rupa ia tampilkan dalam visualisasi yang secara dekoratif indah. Bila pada awalnya, saat tampil bersama dalam pameran ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’, pulasan dekoratifnya tidak sanggup menghilangkan kesan menjijikkan dari objek-obyek yang ia eksplorasi, dalam perkembangan berikutnya, Edy mengalami lompatan yang mengesankan. Ia memperluas objek eksplorasinya. Tidak hanya objek ‘’menjijikkan’’ seperti ulat atau cacing, ia masuk ke benda-benda imajinasi serta fantasi, selain ia garap juga objek dari dunia nyata. Kecermatan teknik mengantarkan objek-objeknya seakan benda hiper-realis. Namun, obsesi untuk menampilkan ‘’inner beauty’’ dari berbagai objek yang digarapnya, tetap terasa pada karya-karyanya. Benda-benda fantasi dan imajinatif yang hadir dalam karyanya, menghadirkan keindahan dan misteri sekaligus. Sebagai misal, ilustrasi cerita pendek ‘’Iblis Paris’’ yang dimuat di Kompas hari Minggu misalnya menampilkan sosok manusia bertopeng dan ‘’bertanduk’’ — satu makhluk imajinatif karena merespon cerita pendek ‘’Iblis Paris’’ tentunya — namun terasa makhluk itu menebar aura estetik sekaligus menebar misteri. Memang, sangat mungkin banyak apresian menunggu, kemana arah eksplorasi objek-objek dari imajinasi serta fantasi ini dan apa pula yang menjadi landasan intelektualnya. Apakah fantasi dari dunia mimpi-mimpi seperti pelukis besar Salvador Dali? Ataukah fantasi dari dunia ‘’ketidaksadaran’’ ala Marc Chagall? Atau fantasi dan imajinasi ala Frida Kahlo yang mengeksplorasi kekayaan arkeologis budaya Meksiko karena ia menginginkan identitas Meksiko dalam karyanya? Edy pasti masih akan menjalani proses kreatif yang sangat panjang, untuk akhirnya sampai pada eksistensi yang karakternya memperlihatkan originalitas dan personalitas keperupaannya.

Rio Saren, yang boleh dikata cukup agresif dalam eksplorasi media dan tema dalam karya-karyanya, memperlihatkan sosok seorang modernis – modernis dalam artian sosio-kultur, bukan dalam konteks isme-isme keseni-rupaan – yang sekaligus tak mau melepaskan kekayaan dari arkeologi lokalnya, Bali. Ia memperlihatkan agresivitas dalam eksplorasi media, misalnya dengan melukis pada bidang kosong di pelinggih merajan–nya, bidang kosong di parba bangunan tradisional di rumahnya, atau ia gubah karya instalasi indoor maupun out-door dengan barang-barang bekas yang didaur ulang. Namun, ia tidak melepaskan identitas budaya lokalnya, seperti ia tunjukkan dengan jelas dalam visualisasi ikon-ikon Bali, mitologi yang hidup dalam budaya Bali yang sebagian besarnya dibentuk dalam spirit agama Hindu.
Memang, eksplorasi media seperti yang dilakoni Rio ini bukanlah sesuatu yang sama sekali baru. Tahun 1980-an, perupa Nyoman Erawan memulainya dengan semangat avant garde yang penuh gairah, dimana ia menggunakan benda-benda temuan seperti perahu bekas maupun aneka macam benda yang ikonik Bali, sampai pada sejumlah instalasi serta performance art yang sempat mengguncang dan menimbulkan kecemburuan pada kelompok tertentu. Kini, manakala jagat seni rupa Indonesia diharu biru oleh mistifikasi seni rupa kontemporer — dimana pemahaman kontemporer kadang dipersempit menjadi karya seni neo-realis dan yang ke-cina-cina—an – kehadiran perupa muda seperti Rio ini, semogalah menjadi cubitan kecil serta mencerahkan kesalahpahaman tentang seni kontemporer. Sebab, eksplorasi dan spirit kontemporer bukanlah sesuatu yang baru berkembang dalam dasawarsa ini saja, tetapi bahkan jauh sebelumnya, sejak Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru Indonesia melontarkan sikap kritis terhadap fenomena kesenirupaan sebelumnya.

Yang keempat, Dewa Agung, perupa yang kehadiran publik dari karya-karyanya tidaklah sekerap ketiga rekannya. Dari perjalanan kreatifnya sejak pameran ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ pada tahun 2007 sampai yang sekarang ini, Dewa Agung adalah perupa yang belum kunjung memperlihatkan mana gaya dan bentuk yang akan membentuk kepribadian artistiknya. Ia bermain-main dengan papan, gelondongan kayu, melukis di kanvas, diantaranya ditransformasikan ke benda trimatra seperti yang ditampilkannya dalam pameran ‘’Siklus’’ ini dan sampai sekarang, tetap terasa bahwa ia belum menjatuhkan ‘’pilihannya.’’ Ia masih dalam pencaharian, satu brahmacari kreatif, dan sepertinya ia masih belum menentukan mana ‘’jodoh-estetik’’-nya yang paling pas untuk naik ke pelaminan kreatif kesenirupaannya. Karya tri-matra yang digubah dari gelondongan kayu, kemudian ditancapi dengan potongan kayu yang lebih kecil dan dililit warna merah-kuning-hitam, pahatan dan ukiran disana-sini, bolehlah dibawa ke proses yang melahirkan pematung Cokot dari Desa Jati, Tegalalang, yang namanya telah jadi legenda. Cokot menggunakan kayu-kayu temuan, mengukirnya mengikuti bentuk aslinya, menampilkan demon-demon dari dunia mitolotis dimana ia hidup, sesuatu yang benar-benar baru dan original pada masanya. Tak hanya menjadi legenda, anak cucunya mewarisi style Cokotisme yang direproduksi dalam karya-karya ‘’Cokot’s Son’’ serta menjadi sumber ekonomi yang memakmurkan keturunan pematung yang juga balian tersebut . Dewa Agung menggunakan kayu temuan yang bentuk aslinya dibiarkan sedemikian rupa, direspon dengan ukiran dan pahatan disana-sini, lalu dengan teknik instalatif ia menjadikan gelondongan kayu itu ‘’objek baru’’. Dibanding patung-patung Bali yang pakemnya sudah sangat jelas; secara tematik menggambarkan dewa-dewi serta demon-demon mitologis, secara material menggunakan kayu, padas, logam, dari aspek fungsi, ada yang untuk pemujaan keagamaan dan selebihnya untuk dekorasi interior dan eksterior; karya tri-matra Dewa Agung ini, tidak dalam konteks itu. Untuk bisa mencapai eksistensi, seumpama sekaliber Cokot, Dewa Agung memerlukan masa eksplorasi yang lebih panjang, karya yang lebih banyak lagi, serta terutama menggagas satu karya dari tema yang lebih kaya akan esensi dan makna.

‘’Siklus’’ adalah suatu tahap dalam perjalanan kreatif keempat perupa muda ini. Apa yang mereka capai sampai pada titik ini, kalau kita mau mencatatnya, adalah semangat untuk terus mengeksplor media, teknik maupun tema yang mungkin saja dianggap telah menjadi ‘’tambang bekas’’ dari ‘’penggali-penggali kreatif’’ sebelumnya. Tapi, siapa tahu, di bekas tambang tembaga, tiba-tiba ada emas?

Denpasar, 4 Juni 2009
Putu Wirata Dwikora

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Cycle

After their appearance together in the editorial of ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ in Danes Art Veranda in 2007, now these four young painters ~ Dewa Gde Agung, Rio Saren, I Wayan Januariawan also knows as Donald and Putu Edy Asmara Putra – are present at a joint exhibition in the editorial named ‘’Siklus’’ in Gaya Art Space. When at the ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ the substantive exploration of these young painters – they were still students at the ISI (the Institute of Art Indonesia) Denpasar back then ~ were things around the process that involving birth, in ‘’Siklus’’ they are presenting a kind of self-portrait about their respective creative exploration, with style as well as their individual idealism.

Presumably the process, when appeared in ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ was the periods of brahmacari, the era of mischievous and rebellious that was spontaneous and unpredictable direction. Now, the presentation in ‘’Siklus’’ is supposedly the stage approaching grahasta, that is the period where they prepared themselves for creative marriage, married to the realistic circumstances of life around art. The traces of his mischievous adolescence and brahmacari still can be felt and perhaps artistic creativity always in the need of rebellious spirit, although they were at the edge entering the era of grahasta creatively. So far, the revolt from some of them were the struggle of existences, have not become something that jolted, that is the fuss in the world of fine arts made amongst the phenomenon of ‘’expression, market, artisanism as well as the work of art as product’’.

The most radical revolt was carried out by Wayan ‘’Donald’’ Januariawan. The prospective revolt emerged radically in several of his works that were presented in ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ and increasingly visible in the exhibition of ‘’Me Between Us’’ (2007) and ‘’Silent Celebration’’ (2008) in Tony Raka Gallery Ubud, where he proclaimed that ‘’his work is not a product’’. He utilized objects that he found – damaged plaited bamboo walls, second-hand door, rusty tattered zinc, used cloths, used plastics, old rubber sheet, used plastic sack and its kind – as the medium and left his works “unfinished”. He tried to rise the ‘’inner history’’ from the object that he found and stimulate its ‘’inner beauty’’ to emerge to the surface. Avoiding the treatment and pampering of his works, he did not complete them with common art work’s feature. He did not make admirable and solid frame for them. He also did not fix a hook for easy display of his work in exhibition space. Donald’s principle is as though ‘’defying’’ the glamour side of fine arts which notably was the market, where the art dealers, gallery owners, auction house, art fair, the collectors and kolekdol (buy to be re-sale) and others who are playing their role. In spite of being different from the other street painters who made use of sophisticated technology as their medium to simplify and speed up ‘’creative production’’ in their works of art, Donald was not in the position to deliberately bashed and attacked. He chose this approach as he feels that it is the right and appropriate principle for him at the present moment.

The other young figure was Putu Edy Asmara Putra. While Donald presented obsolete objects, dirty and dusty as ‘’historic recorder’’ and practically displayed as it is, Edy explored the ‘’inner beauty’’ from an object, the creature and object that actually could invite one’s sense of disgust. The caterpillar, worms, the female or male genitalia, in such a way he presents them in visualization that decoratively beautiful. While initially, when appeared together in the exhibition of ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’, his decorative depiction could not eliminate the sense of disgust from the objects that he explored, in the following development, Edy experienced an astounding leap. He broadened his object’s exploration. Not only the object that ‘’disgusting’’ like caterpillar or worm, he got into imaginative as well as fantasy objects and he also worked on the real world objects. Precision of technique brings his objects as though they are hyperrealist objects. However, the obsession to represents the ‘’inner beauty’’ from various objects that he worked on, still can be felt on his creation. The existence of fantasy and imaginative objects on his creation, exhibits the beauty and mystery all at once. For instant, the illustration of short story of ‘’Paris Devil’’ which was published in Kompas on Sunday edition, presented a masked human being with ‘’horned’’ ~ one imaginative creature as a response to the short story of ‘’Paris Devil’’ of course ~ but it can be felt that the creature spreads aesthetic aura as well as dispersing mystery. Indeed, it is very possibly many appreciators are waiting, to which direction he will go to explore these objects of his imagination and fantasy and what will be the fundamental of his intellectual. Could it be the fantasy from the world of dreams resembling the great painter Salvador Dali? Or could it be the fantasy from the world ‘’unconsciousness’’ similar to Marc Chagall? Or could it be the fantasy and imagination a’la Frida Kahlo who explored the Mexican culture’s archaeological treasures because he wanted the existence of Mexican identity in his work? Edy definitely will still have to undergo a lengthy creative process, to finally reach the existence of characters that will show his artistic originality and personality.
Rio Saren, who can be said aggressive enough in his media’s exploration and theme of his works, shows a modernist figure – modernist in the sense of socio-culture, but not in the artistic isms context – which at the same time he did not want to let go the valuable of local archeology, Bali. He showed aggressiveness in his media’s exploration, for example, he depicted in an empty space in his pelinggih merajan, empty space in parba a traditional architecture at his house, or he composed indoor and outdoor installation works with re-cycled second-hand goods. However, he did not release the local culture identity, as he showed clear visualization of Balinese icons, mythology that lives in Balinese culture, which mostly formed by the spirits of Hindu religion.

Indeed, the media’s exploration that Rio performed was not something brand-new. In the 1980′s, painter Nyoman Erawan began with avant-garde spirit that was full of the passion, where he used discovered objects like the second-hand boat and various Balinese icon objects, presented several installations as well as art performance that may have rattled and caused jealousy to a certain group. Currently, whenever the world of the Indonesian fine arts was affected by mystification of contemporary fine arts ~ where the understanding of contemporary was sometimes narrowed down to the neo-realist’s work of art with chinese-oriental characteristic – the presence of young painter like Rio, it is hoped to became a small pinch that could enlighten the misunderstanding in regards to contemporary art. Whereas, the exploration and contemporary spirit was not something that developed in resent decade, but in fact long before that, since the New Indonesia’s Movement of the Fine Arts has brought up the critical attitude towards the artistic phenomenon previously.
The fourth one is Dewa Agung; a painter who has not publicized his works publically as often as his three other colleagues. From his creative journey since the exhibition of ‘’Nyawa Senyawa’’ in 2007 until present, Dewa Agung is a painter who has not yet shown which of the style and characteristic that will form his artistic identity. He fiddles with plank, timber, painting in canvas, some of them was transformed into three-dimensional objects as he presented in ‘’Siklus’’ exhibition and until now, it seems that he has not chosen “his pick”. He is still exploring, one creative brahmacari, and apparently he has not yet determine which could be his appropriate ‘’aesthetic match’’ to be married into his creative artistic. The three-dimension work that was created from timber, which then implanted with smaller chunks of wood and wrapped around with red-yellow-black color, sculptured and carved here and there, possibly can be taken to the process of the birth a carver named Cokot from the Jati Village, Tegalalang, a name that has become legendary. Cokot used discovered woods, carved them following its original shape, exhibiting the demons from the world mythology where they lived, something that was new and original in that era. Not only became legendary, his children and grandchildren inherited Cokot-ism style that was reproduced in the works of ‘’Cokot’s Son’’ which also has become the economic source that made the descendants of this carver, who was also a shaman, prosperous. Dewa Agung has used found wood that he left it to its original shape in such a way, made responses with sculpture and carving here and there, then with installation technique he turned that timber into a “new object”. Compared to Balinese statues where its originality has been very clear; thematically depicted Gods and Goddesses and the mythological demons, using wood, sandstone, metal as material, from the aspect of function, there are use for religious worship and the rest use for interior and exterior decoration; Dewa Agung’s three-dimension work was not in that context. To be able to achieve an existence, supposedly of Cokot caliber, Dewa Agung needed the longer exploration period, produce more of his masterwork, and especially come up with one masterwork from theme that is richer in essence and meaning.

“Siklus’’ was a stage of creative journey to these four young painters. What they have achieved up to this point, if we wanted to make a note, was the spirit to continue to explore the media, the technique and theme that possibly it was already considered as “former mines” from previous ‘’creative digger’’. Nevertheless, who knew, in the former copper mine, suddenly we find gold?

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i According to the Hindu religious teaching, there were four stages of humankind of the journey of life in the society. Namely the stage of brahmacari, was youth period, followed by education period, and generally unattached; grahasta was the maturity period, had a family, worked to seek for the material wealth to raise their children; wanaprastha was the period when someone entered the old age, his children have gazed at the period grahasta and the parent has stopped seeking for material, subjugated their time, energy, his thoughts to serve the community; sanyasin was the period to release all the desires and worldly materials, carried out the religious teaching as ideally as possible, approaching the last moments to met Him.

ii According to Nirwan Dewanto ‘’JURNAL KEBUDAYAAN KALAM’’ on 26 May 2006, in one decade, the fine arts treasury in Indonesia was covered by myths. The myth that this was contemporary fine arts hours. The myth about the superiority of the fine arts new media. The myth about academic theories to ‘represents’ the painter. The myth about pluralism but also the myth about the collapsed of modernism. At present also developing the myth about the available power on the hands of the gallery, art dealer, the curator, the collector, and the power on the hands painters that was made ‘’market icon’’ as though they could form a “suitable” opinion about the work of art and could be accepted by the public. Nirwan Dewanto threw a very sharp analytical towards this phenomenon, where he worried that pluralism that was carried by the Indonesian theoretician-curator-painter in recent times, just become the attitude of anti-modernism and anti-lirism that was blunt and unable to analyze in a conscientious manner, what was actually the essence and context from that creation alone.

iii ‘’In the Indonesian fine arts, the contemporary term emerged in the early 70′s, when Gregorius Sidharta used the contemporary term to name the sculpture exhibition at that time. Suwarno Wisetrotomo, an observer of fine arts, believed that the contemporary fine arts in the concept of his foundation was liberation efforts from assessment contracts that have been standardize or were possibly regarded as obsolete. The other opinion from Yustiono, the teacher’s staff FSRD ITB, saw that the contemporary fine arts in Indonesia was not free from the outbreak of rumors of post-modernism (at the end 1993 and early 1994), where along the year of 1993 heated debate and wide topic of discussions in seminars and in the mass media at that time. Whereas the connection of contemporary art and (art) postmodern, according to Yasraf Amir Pilliang, the observer of art, the understanding of contemporary art was art that was made at the present moment, so it was something to do with time, with the special note that modern art was art that gathered new idioms. He explained further that not all present art (contemporary) that could be categorized as postmodern art, postmodern art itself on one hand gave the understanding, quoted the past but on the other side also jumped into the future (futurist), in the Digital WIKIPEDIA Encyclopedia.


Curatorial