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Hello from Yogyakarta

By Cynthia Web
20th August 2001

Hello from Yogyakarta.

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.

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. 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.

During that week I also went to Denpasar on three different evenings to attend the Bali Arts Festival events. There were displays of cultural interest as well as some marvellous dance and music performances. My favourite was the music and dance group from Kalimantan. The music was composed of drummers and one musician playing a stringed instrument, similar to rebab. I loved the Arabic rhythms of the music, and the dances were beautiful.

Twice I met friend and member of Australia Indonesia Arts Alliance, Victoria Cattoni there. She is an installation artist who has lived in Bali for about a year now, teaching English and continuing her artistic development. She has exhibited at the Seniwati Gallery a couple of years ago, and during the last year went to Europe to participate in an exhibition with other artists. There she met kindred spirit artists from Finland who were impressed by her work. Now she is in Finland, participating in another exhibition programme which has been organized by these artists. Her invitation is a great honour for her and includes a lot of very welcome financial support for her…. Travel, accommodation, and funds towards the expense of creating her installation work there in Finland.

YOGYAKARTA

On the 8th July I flew to Yogyakarta, anxious to be there for the first night of the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival, organized by the tireless Sapto Rahardjo. My taxi from the airport dropped me at my Hotel, where I checked in and then immediately took another taxi to Jalan Gayam and arrived only about 30 minutes after the first evening concert had commenced.

I attended the Festival last year when it was held at Purna Budaya, Gadjah Mada University and enjoyed it immensely, so resolved not to miss it this year. This time things were different as the Festival location was outdoors and in the street, so as to reach out to the people and make it accessible for all strata of society. People who perhaps would not have attended the event at the university. Now, in the central Yogya street , Jalan Gayam near the premises of Radio Geronimo, there was an open air stage, and also two large video screens and accompanying speakers so that those who couldn't gather at the stage, could watch and listen from further up the street. Becak drivers and neighbourhood children and grandmothers were gathered around the screens and at the main stage was a crowd of very appreciative listeners.

This year being an "experiment", Sapto had scheduled only three evening concerts - a smaller festival than last year. Each evening the audience grew larger and it became evident that this new idea for the festival was a success. Next year Sapto will be braver to schedule more musical performers thereby extending the length of the festival to match former years at UGM. However, the 2001 festival was a wonderful mixture of Indonesian musical performers from various islands, some of whom had travelled from Sumbawa and Suluwesi, as well as other parts of Java.

SAWUNG JABO

Many of you know or have heard of our friend and AIAA member, the very well known Indonesian musician, Sawung Jabo. Jabo is currently in Indonesia and has been kind enough in his busy schedule of social and artistic activites to invite me to some of them. A nice experience was wandering down Malioboro one afternoon with Jabo and his relatives who were visiting from Sydney. The amount of recognition, respect and friendship that he received from many many of the people of Malioboro was very heartwarming, and the nice part was how reciprocal it was. Jabo is truly a man of the people, a fact very much in evidence in his musical compositions also.

Bpk Sudarto and Sawung Jabo

BAPAK SUDARSO

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.

MUSIC AND DANCE

Through friends involved in music here in Yogya, ( "KPJ", Komunitas Malioboro) I quickly met Max Richter from Melbourne who is here doing research for his PhD (Anthropology). He is efficiently covering every possible musical event from street busking to formal concerts, busking competitions, kroncong, dangdut, campur sari, Islamic music and street parades. He also visits individual musicians and is usually seen making recordings with a tiny but excellent compact disc recorder and microphone. His special area of interest is the guitar as it is such a "peoples' instrument" and how they express themselves through their music. Of course talking to Jabo has been very interesting for Max, and Jabo has introduced him to many people and events to aid his research. Max and I live near each other and frequently I consult him about what musical events are coming up and we are often both in attendance.

We went to UGM for a performance by "ADILUHUNG" called "Pyarr - Umat Amat Amit-Amit". This was a most beautiful night of music and poetry and dance and even included wayang kulit. It was a sort of symphonic experience - one long work, including poetry readings of the works of Emha Ainun Nadjib. "Adiluhung" includes about 12 musicians, playing both classical Western instruments, (cello and violins, keyboard ) and traditional gongs, drums, etc. This was a rewarding night's entertainment .

On 29th July Jabo gave me a call to invite me to a dance performance by STUDIO TAKSU of Surakarta. It was held at a nice village location, Sanggar/Studio Kua Etnika, Tirtonirmolo, Kasihan-Bantul . The young dancers performed three items and the final one, representing an episode of brothers fighting from the Mahabarata, symbolised the continuing similar situation within Indonesia, as political or social unrest continues in some locations.

UNTUNG BASUKI

Jabo and his family introduced me to Untung Basuki and his family. Untung was a member of the famous Bengkel Theatre in Yogyakarta, along with Jabo, W.S.Rendra, and other less well known friends.

I have since been to Basuki's home a couple of times and enjoyed meeting his wife and children, eating tempe goreng and singing the old songs of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez with Basuki. He is a good guitarist and a fantastic song writer. He got out his own songbook of personal compositions and sang several to me. I have begun behaving like Max, and went back with my recorder and asked Basuki to sing three of them again, - so I can learn them too. Very beautiful songs, and great lyrics. He has recently recorded an album which will soon be available on cassette.

CONCERT BY "QATRUNADA"

On 2nd August, at the Pagelaran Kraton , Max and I attended a formal concert of Islamic songs of worship by THE leading Indonesian Islamic music group, "Qatrunada". Here the Arabic traditional rhythms , were performed by a group of singers and drummers, including a group of young boy singers. This was a very nice evening, and I really enjoyed seeing the "busana Muslim" - the traditional Islamic dress of the Indonesian women in the audience and in attendance to assist audience to seats, sell CDs etc. These clothes are so colourful, so elegant and graceful and made me green with envy….. if only I could look so beautiful!

STREET MUSICIANS CONTEST

Another musical event was a 3 day competition for street musicians, with an enticing prize of a considerable sum of money . This was held in the unlikely location of the Air Force Academy at Adiscucipto . There is a young Second Lieutenant named Yogie, from Padang, West Sumatra, who loves music and is a radiant young man with a very enlightened attitude and ardent wish to bridge the social gap between the elite Academy and the " masa rakyat" , the people of Malioboro. Traditionally the young cadets must maintain distance and dignity and not be seen fraternizing with the street people. However I met Yogie at the wonderful Yogya " street culture centre", the Warung Pajeksan in Jln. Pajeksan. This is owned by my Yogya "family", Mbak Nanik and Mas Sudiyono. Nanik introduced me to Yogie, telling me that he was "baik, - tidak sombong". Well that was certainly true.

He proposed the idea to hold the street musicians competition along with a basketball tournament, at the Academy facilities. It was great to see something so progressive and the smiling faces of everyone confirmed what a great idea it was.

Another great idea was the "Clean Up of Malioboro" one Sunday morning, when members of Komunitas Malioboro and a large number of Air Force Cadets spent three hours from 6 until 9 a.m. doing their best to conquer the growing problem of rubbish lying about. It ended with 300 packets of food being distributed to the workers and music, singing and dancing in the street in front of the Gedung Agung. Mbak Nanik cooked the food and the friends from Warung Pajeksan rallied round with assistance . Here I was seen dancing with 6 cadets at once, including Yogie who can persuade anyone to do anything!

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.

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, and recently another one in Jakarta at NADI GALLERY, along with his friend the painter Katirin who also paints the human form.

DJOKO PEKIK

On two occasions Nurkholis and friends have taken me to visit the neighbour DJOKO PEKIK , one of Indonesias 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.

from 'The Return of the Devi' by Heri Pemad

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. Dwi Marianto wrote an article about the exhibition for The Jakarta Post, which I read, but he has not thrown any light on the questions for me either. I have since talked to him about it too - but he was " non-commital" on the matter of the meaning of the works. I think perhaps this involves a rather dangerous social/political area and its 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.

TAMAN BACAAN NATSUKO SHIOYA

One evening Sawung Jabo introduced me to a man named Glen Goulds from Australia, who it turned out had lived in the same town as me in the eighties . I remembered meeting him once years ago, when he exhibited a collection of antique furniture imported from Java. Glen used to teach silk painting, utilizing batik painting methodology and I knew of him because at the time I too was teaching fabric painting in the same area.

A day later I talked to him for a long time and his story emerged. He is building a library in a kampung on the northern outskirts of Yogya. This library will be named after the love of his life, Natsuko Shioya, a young Japanese woman who died not so long ago, in a tragic construction site accident in Japan not long before they were due to be married. It is his "Taj Mahal" - in memory of Natsuko, whose parents are also involved financially with this generous gift to the people of Yogyakarta. The building is almost completed and it is a fine place, in a very nice location, adjoining the rice fields with a view to Mt Merapi. It is expected to open in October and will house a collection of books in Bahasa Indonesia, English and Japanese.

DANI DAOED, SCULPTOR EXTRAODINAIRE

My friend Dani is another man of enormous skill and authenticity of spirit. He is another graduate of ISI, now aged 35. He has an impecable eye for form and particular gift for anatomy and imbuing grace into the work. His ideas flow faster than he can draw and create. He used to design a lot of smaller items - household ornaments and funiture items, wall features like fountains. Now he is increasingly in demand to build large works… city monuments, garden sculpture for wealthy people, décor features for new buildings. His work becomes more and more ambitious, because he has been discovered by the leading architects of Indonesia, including the famous Hardiprana. The commissions become bigger and bigger, but Dani has the undaunted confidence of someone who knows their media and method intimately and he has great capacity for hard work.

For example, Dani has made a group of five bronze kecak dancers with grace the lobby of the Bali Paradiso Hotel in Kuta. He has recently created two enormous works which will be seen by thousands of tourists in the soon to open "Planet Hollywood" Club in Bali. One of these is five metres across… a huge Barong face, the mouth of which will be a doorway.

At present he is doing a large number of fantasy character sculptures for the new twelve floor "FM 1" Hotel/Karaoke Bar complex in Jakarta. This hotel is a wildly imagined conception from architect, Hendri, who sought out Dani to design all the figures which will adorn the corridors, and to create a sort of adventure/drama sculpture which will be attached to the outside of the building. Soon it will be a well known landmark in Jakarta….. with it's very unusual appearance.

To produce the amount of work now being commissioned, Dani employs about 25 workers who are carefully selected , to assist in the preparation of the clay, making the moulds and other labour. The works are first made in clay sculpture. Dani conceives the works, and then brings the drawings to life, in clay. Later a mould is created and the piece is cast. The larger recent works have been done with fibreglass moulding techniques and the finished works for the public buildings are made of moulded fibreglass, painted in full colour . However my favourite works from Dani are the smaller works, figures which can bring tears to your eyes with their subtle and so very expressive attitudes.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 17TH August 2001

Yogyakarta loves a parade and I have seen several including the biggest one on Indpendence Day. Preparations had been evident around town for a week, of people cleaning up, re-painting their local kampung entry-way, re-tiling surfaces, and hanging up banners and vast numbers of "Merah-Putih" the national flag appeared everywhere.

On Saturday the 18th the "Pesta Masa Rakyat" ( Peoples' Party) was held in the Alun Alun Utara in the front of the Sultan's Palace ( Kraton). In the evening a documentary film was shown on an outdoor screen… footage recording the war of independence and showing Sukarno looking handsome in his white uniform as he strode through history and made a nation.

A concert of music and dance commenced at about 10 p.m. after readings from the Koran had been held in the Sultan's Palace. The musicians included, "Adiluhung" the previously mentioned group, who revealed a totally different persona than the one seen and heard at the concert a few weeks back. This time they were doing less high-brow music . Instead something more suitable for a peoples' party.

Also "KPJ" performed and some of us hoped Jabo would join in with them as he often does. However it was not to be. We also saw traditional dance and drumming and song, and a lot of very funny fooling around by the two hosts who announced and filled in time between items.

RATU KIDUL and BAPAK USODO

The artist Eddy Sulistyo had made an intriguing painting of Ratu Kidul and I asked about it. He said it was copied from a photograph which an elderly friend had. Well, being an afficionado of the Goddess of the Southern Ocean, I was keen to see a photo of her. Sulis took me to visit Bapak Usodo, aged 83, who lived adjacent to the Taman Sari ( Water Castle).

Sulis explained that I hoped to see the photograph of the Dewi and he obligingly produced it and allowed me to photograph it too. He told a story of how it came into being…. The picture is strangely blurred and seems ghostly and of two worlds, not quite belonging to either. It is clearly the traditional conception of the image of Ratu Kidul. His photo was a reprint from a negative which was owned by a friend of his and Usodo said he had seen the negative with the image on it. The family of his friend went on a picnic to Parangtritis Beach. Before going home, they gathered together for a photo and the photographer heard a voice saying "Wait" as he was about to click the shutter. Then the voice seemed to say "I am ready" and he looked into his view finder at his smiling family and clicked the shutter. When the picture was developed, instead of the family, the picture was this blurred image of Ratu Kidul, with black hair flying in the wind.

Then Bapak said, "She comes here you know". The Queen of the South Seas is connected with the Taman Sari in legend, and this is only a few metres away from his house. He said he does not see her, but only hears her voice. Once the voice told him to go to the pasar ( market). He obeyed then once at the market, wondering what he should do next heard the voice again telling him where to go to find a man selling kris. ( ritual dagger ) Udoso looked at them, and one in particular was glowing with light. He bought this kris and took it home. Some days later, there was a knock at his door, and a particular General whom Udoso knew, was there. He asked to see the kris, and then placed it behind him wearing it in the traditional way, and paid Udoso for it and took his leave.

I will leave my readers to come to their own conclusions about this story, but here you will be able to see the photo of Ratu Kidul. Usodo said "Indonesia is the land of much magic" and then produced another mysterious example. He went into another room and came back with four pieces of what seemed to be stone… however the unusual thing was that these stones were exact replicas of pieces of foods…. A piece of ginger, a peanut, and kencur. I immediately decided they were made from moulds, but on closer examination, it didn't seem to be cast from any substance I could identify that could feel and sound so much like stone. It weighed like stone too. Perhaps glass….? But I don't think it was. These things left me mystified and I would love to be able to take them to someone for examination. Bapak Usodo got them from a farmer who had found them in the earth when working the soil. I thought perhaps they came from near the volcano and heat had somehow created instant fossils. When I suggested this Bapak said the area was far away from any volcanos.

Usodo began to talk about his memories of the war of independence, and knowing Suharto in those days. He said , "In Europe they went to war with trucks, cars, tanks and aeroplanes but here we went to war on foot. He told about receiving a call for assistance from comrades in Bandung and his group took one month to walk there. He talked about a battle at Barongan, near Yogya when the Dutch fled. He admits to having killed many Dutch during the time of the necessity of war. He also told about receiving a visit from ex-Netherlands soldiers much later on, and how they talked as comrades now, both having seen first hand the tragedy and futility of war. He also talked most eloquently and sincerely about the need for understanding that all people are the same, where-ever they come from. He believes the only way to peace and prosperity is equality and liberty for all.

PERSONAL COMMENTS FROM CYNTHIA

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.

Cynthia Webb
lorokidul3@hotmail.com
Cultural Netweoker - AIAA