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Two Indonesian New Age Painters
Tommy Wondra, Gusmen Heriadi
Kevin Rahardjo at Edwin’s Gallery
Indonesia is the largest nation-state in the Southeast Asian region. It is comprised of over 13,000 islands of various sizes, inhabited by around 250 million people. Not only it is a large nation; it is also a very diverse one. There are about 300 ethnic groups, each different to the others.
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Gusmen, Sleep(2), 2007, 100x120 | Each of them has its own distinct histories, languages, customs, rituals, religious beliefs, visual and musical cultures (theatres, performing arts, clothing), and of course, philosophies. This easily makes Indonesia as the most diverse nation in the world. Such vastness of the diversity is the result of periods of isolation, in which each culture had / has its own Royal Courts which inherits the customs and traditions to the particular ethnic group. Hence, each of those ethnic groups “evolves” rather independently.
Both Gusmen Heriadi and Tommy Wondra come from two families of the coincidentally same ethnic group, Minangkabau, West Sumatra Province. Gusmen comes from Pariaman, whilst Wondra comes from the scenic town of Bukit Tinggi. The Minangkabau people are known for its rather unique maternal family lineage. Besides that, Minang people are famous for their cuisine. Minang (Padang) restaurants do not only exist in West Sumatra, but also throughout virtually every part of Indonesia, and even many countries overseas.
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Tommy Wondra, 2007, Mencari Jawaban(1), 140x160 | This is undeniably linked to the embracement of the rantau culture by the Minang people, which is a custom that encourages adult men to go out of their native land (temporarily), to gain experiences and different views of the world as well as to learn how to live independently. Indeed, in this sense, Minang people are rather diasporic in nature. They regard rantau as a process of maturation, a mean to forge themselves to become tougher and wiser people. The fact that the two artists reside in Jogjakarta (Java), instead of in West Sumatra, is the very manifestation of the notion of Minangkabauan rantau.
Conducting life in a land that is not of one’s own could be difficult. Things might not operate the same way as they are “at home”. Therefore, parental advices are regularly given by Minang parents to their sons; in the context of rantau for instance, to better prepare them of life ahead in the new land.
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Gusmen, Jawaban, 2007, 100x120 | Proverbs are also commonly used in events such as weddings, festivities, and family gatherings in a sort of “verbal battle” (for fun). In order to properly respond to a proverb and hopefully win the “battle”, one must have good enough experience, knowledge, and promptness to respond to this swift exchange of words. Hence, it is not too surprising that many of the senior and respected Indonesian intellectuals are of Minang descent. They are simply strong in literature.
In Minang tradition, especially among the older generations, parental advices are not usually expressed in plain, regular and blatant ways. Instead, they are often expressed in proverbs or by way of highly philosophical and poetic words of wisdom, characterised by the use of very few words but of deep meanings. Often, they who are subjected to those proverbs must rack their brains in order to be able to understand the actual meanings and aims that are to be conveyed, which may as well be interpreted in various ways by different peoples. Such tradition or convention naturally sharpens their linguistic sensitivity and familiarise them with things that are minimalistic and philosophic in nature. Perhaps this is the reason why the works produced by Gusmen and Wondra do reflect this nuance: minimalistic in their visual language, yet deep in their meanings and philosophic in their contents.
There is one thing to note about the two artists’ method of production of art. In the modernist point of view an established artist is expected to produce artworks of considerable “consistency”, in that an artist should adhere to a particular “style”, theme or object, as indications of the establishment of the artist’s artistic trajectory. This is not the case with the two artists. Their thematic, stylistic, and technical approaches are in constant flux.
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Tommy Wondra, Mencari Jawaban(2), 2008, 140x160 | As creative and imaginative artists, they have found it imperative to pursue their various interests and keep on “exploring”. Yet despite of the thematic, stylistic, and technical diversity, each of them has managed to evoke the “feel” and nuance that are constant.
Gusmen Heriadi is currently working on a body of work which revolves around three primary conceptual focuses: his dreams, his philosophical views, and his responses to cultural life.
The works that are categorised under the concept of dreams are actually expressions, expectations or dreams of a condition that he considers to be utopoian. The work entitled Sleep # 2, for instance, is an expression of his wish of one day he would be able to have a deep sleep, without having to wake up early in the morning, and aloof from the hectic daily routines.
The works under the theme philosophical views are expressions of his philosophical perspective of life that has been sharpened by a variety of experiences which he had encountered in life. In the work entitled Tanggung Jawab # 2, he wishes to convey that every human being has his / her own responsibilities in life, even though it may be something “heavy” and difficult to withstand. Meanwhile, his works that originate from the theme of responses to cultural life are actually critical views on societal life, based on the observation of people’s daily behaviours, which is arguably formed by the frictions he encountered between the Minangkabauan and Javanese cultures.
Wondra’s works, meanwhile, are the direct expression of his inner feeling. What is thrown upon the canvas is a truthful visualisation of what he thinks or feels at the time, which, as human beings, continually changes over time.
He produces his works of art as he plays, and he plays as he produces his works of art. As I have mentioned earlier, his style, themes, and techniques are in constant flux and playful exploration. Without being aware of it, his playing habit has actually become an initial asset for him in the production of his art and in his trajectory.
In this exhibition, rocks and ropes are the two objects that frequently appear in his works, either as subjects or as aesthetic compliments. Intuitively, he puts an object into his work and arrange it in such a way, because he feels that it aspires to his feeling. That’s why Tommy Wondra’s works often reflect the emotional state he was in at the time he was working on them. |
