Solo art exhibition, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, November-December 2002

Curators: Nindityo Adipurnomo and Mella Jaarsma

Cemeti Art House
Jalan D.I. Panjaitan No. 41, Yogyakarta 55143, Indonesia.
Phone/Fax +62 274 371015.
Email cemetiah@indosat.net.id
Website www.cemetiarthouse.com

Artworks on display:

• Quilt cloth banners
• Acrylic handpainted cotton screen/curtain
  (as the screen to play the video on opening night, and behind it I put a small canvas painting just for fun to discover something behind it)
• Screenprinted cotton t-shirts
• Screenprinted tote cotton bags
• Embroidered cotton pillows
• Silhouette oil paintings on canvas
• Spraypainted metal sculpture
• Oil painting maps on canvas
• Maps of Amsterdam, NYC & Washington, D.C.
• Silverworks
• Handmade autograph book
• Video art

Exhibition invite:
Photo of the JFK international airport, NY, USA
Photo © 2002 Bunga Jeruk

Assistants in production and display arrangement:

Didit Sukmara
(background painting of maps)

Bob 'Sick' Yudhita & Co.
(display & video operating)
www.oocities.org/bobsick71

Pius Sigit Kuncoro
(video recording)

Ronny Nugroho Susilo Adi
(video editing & audio effects recording)

Turnomo
(metal sculpting)

Basuki
(metal sculpture spraypainting)

M. Amin Mukti
(t-shirts & bags design & idea for the exhibition's title & online display)
http://midnightblues.port5.com

S. Eko D.
(pedestals and showcases)

Bob 'Sick' Yudhita & Co. again
(remake of what Eko was paid for and supposed to make!!!)
www.oocities.org/bobsick71

Sariyem Tukino
(sewing jobs & miscellaneous)

Ernawati Sukmara
(miscellaneous)

Eric Weeda, Chris Campbell, Acacia Grubbs, Jane Colley, etc.
(autograph book)

Agustinus 'Jabrik' Heru Hartaka
(transportation)
http://1freespace.com/kampusndeso

Andang 'Dotcom' Satyawan
(online display)
www.oocities.org/artsowhat/silentium.html

Exhibition souvenirs:

Everyone who came to the opening night of my exhibition got a package of souvenirs consists of a "Bunga Jeruk" coffee mug, a "Bunga Jeruk" tote bag, a "Bunga Jeruk" t-shirt, and a "Bunga Jeruk" pencil. Assistants in the souvenirs-making and preparations: Noel Susenowati, Agustinus 'Jabrik' Heru Hartaka, Didit Sukmara and Bob 'Sick' Yudhita.

BACKGROUND

Every time I packed my things and got ready to travel, I felt as if I was the only person travelling that day! While in train stations, bus stations and airports, millions of people were getting ready to travel as well. They carried all kinds of things in heavy suitcases and bags. They became very possessive, and alert in public places, among strangers who they thought might steal their things. When they were on a journey to get back home, their luggage multiplied. They carried more bags and suitcases home than the number they carried when they started the journey. The new things they got (bought and received) while travelling were taken home, stacked somewhere. After a long journey, they got very tired, jetlagged, and their bedtime became chaotic because of different time zones, they also experienced fatigue from sitting in the Economy Class of the plane, they might have lost some of the things they carried, and additional luggage made them grumpy, they thought hard of what to buy for the folks at home, and they got lost because they read the maps wrongly.....yet, they still wanted to travel again next time! Why do people like to travel? What for? What are in their suitcases? When they got home with all the souvenirs, what did they do with them? After they printed the 'tourist's photos', so what? It is funny to me, because I did all those, too, and I will do it again and again in the future! Including sitting again in the Economy Class, getting jetlag, fatigue, etc.....!

CONCEPT/THEME OF EXHIBITION

The journey I take as the theme of exhibition is a journey as a tourist. 'Tourist' and 'keepsakes' are the two fundamental concepts in this exhibition. 'Tourist' is a MENTALITY. It isn't only about people who become tourists abroad, but it is a mentality. It is how to approach the world and the problems of humankind. You can see 'tourists' managing a country, for example! How bad it is! 'Keepsakes' is how we approach THINGS. How we see things and what they symbolize. Are they important possession or only keepsakes? Alot of human beings are too much attached to things and possessions of no value. Those two concepts underlie my exhibition.

So I don't talk about working in a foreign country (for expatriates), business trips or immigration. Tourists don't experience cultural shock because they are ready to see strange things and people with customs which are odd or alien to them. In fact it is what they look for, by travelling! The habits I draw from are other people's habits too, including people on business trips, but the main source for this exhibition is tourists' habits. The tourists' journeys are ridiculous to me, and endearing at once, as I have explained in the background.

Tourists might worry also about terrorism, political situation, etc. But these are NEVER their main concern. They only want to have fun, and they only think of those problems if those might disturb their goal to have fun.

'Depression' that I meant in the background is merely the worry about LUGGAGE during the journey and at airports in transit. I use the word because the SCALE of the worry is abnormal, too high for such a small matter. Afraid that the luggage will get lost or stolen or misplaced, although the tourists know that in the luggage is 'only' keepsakes and souvenirs! And when they get to the destination later, this 'depression' will seem very ridiculous to themselves.

About my own journeys as the source of ideas, although I got jet lag and fatigue and I was bored on the plane, the essence is I LOVE my journeys. The inconveniences must be endured because I LOVE being in foreign countries, living there, etc. Without the journeys of course I wouldn't have arrived to the destination!

I am honestly saying through this exhibition that, to me, my trips abroad have always been a tourist's journey, although I went abroad to work or live in the foreign countries. It is never an 'artistic' journey or 'spiritual' journey or anything else, because I have never experienced cultural shock, cultural gap, and so on. That is how I always see it, and that is what I said by this exhibition.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION TITLE

I knew that everyone would ask me what the title is meant to say, though when it really happened it made me tired of explaining! :-( But here I must explain once again. It is simple, only a wordplay of the line "That was then, this is now", because in a long journey time becomes relative and we often lose grip of it traveling thru different time zones. When the journey has finished and we are only remembering it, 'now' and 'then' change places. The spelling is taken from computer programs' pirates and internet hackers' language, in which 'z' replaces 's' and 'd' replaces 'th'. I didn't apply it faithfully, because it would make the title even more confusing. I can't replace the 'th' in 'then' with 'd', can I?

ABOUT THE ARTWORKS ON DISPLAY

This exhibition shows my first video art. It was played at the opening night and in the exhibition days. The video is titled "Neverending Journey", to show HOW BORING it is to travel long distance, sitting in a plane and only seeing clouds all the way! Travellers' minds, if not asleep, then imagine alot of things they leave behind at home, and make associations of the things they see as if written or drawn in the clouds. That's why the video only shows the sky (the video was shot through an airplane window from Jogjakarta in Java to Denpasar in Bali), yet there are music and sound effects to represent what travellers have in mind, in their own imagination or remembrance. I made silhouettes to represent the impression of strangers we meet on the way, of places we only glance at, in short, it is a fleeting, thin, short encounter, when we are on a journey and before we arrive at the destination. I made souvenirs like screenprinted tote bags and t-shirts, because the additional luggage people carry back home consists of these things and other kind of 'useless' items. The problem of Economy Class syndrome and fatigue, and especially the changes of bedtime, is represented in the metal sculpture of a sleeping pill. Alot of travellers have been A PROBLEM for airline companies because they stole things like spoons, forks, knives etc. for souvenirs to show off at home, so the silverworks in this exhibition represent this phenomenon. Maps are obviously useful things for travellers, and I made personalized maps of places I know, centered on my apartment and studio, because that is the way people read maps anyway: the center is themselves and where they are. Cheap diners and cafes are also travellers' marks. So there are the restaurant banners in this exhibition. Autograph book contains only people's signatures, this is to represent the way we interact with people in a journey, only a slight encounter, and in the end the interaction becomes only a souvenir.

It must be noted that NONE of the items I exhibited in this event is made elsewhere but in my own studio. I did not collect the items, but I MADE them by myself (with my assistants). I RECONSTRUCTED the items. Logos and pictures, words, etc., on the 'souvenirs' such as bags and t-shirts, banners and so on, are my own designs.

END NOTE

I got enough reviews in the mass-media for this exhibition, unfortunately NONE of them understood what I tried to say thru this exhibition. They talked about cultural clashes, fear in a foreign country, loneliness, homesickness, and so on; VERY FUNNY! That was NOT what I said thru this exhibition! My feeling of a long journey abroad is FATIGUE and I got BORED, NOT SCARED AND SAD! I don't understand why people cannot relate to this at all. Alot of us are frequent travellers like me, but I guess the ones who reviewed my exhibition are the people who rarely go on long journeys abroad. So they wrote based on their own feelings about journeys, although my feeling is totally different from theirs.

My recommendation to understand me and my exhibition this time better is to read two articles, first "Mengutil Perjalanan, Mengacuhkan Teror" ("Pickpocketing Journeys, To Hell With Terror") by Indonesian art observer Mikke Susanto (article is written in Indonesian language) and "Bunga Jeruk Continues to Surprise" by Dutch art collector, curator and gallery manager Dr. Boudewijn Brands (in English).

My video art, "Neverending Journey"
At the opening night it was played on a large screen (2x2 meters). During the exhibition, everyday it was played on a TV screen.
Photo © 2002 Oblo Dwi Prasetyo

LATAR BELAKANG

Setiap kali mengepak barang dan bersiap bepergian, saya merasa sayalah satu-satunya orang yang bepergian hari ini! Padahal di stasiun, terminal, atau bandara, jutaan orang bepergian setiap hari ke segala penjuru. Mereka bawa berbagai macam barang dalam kopor-kopor yang berat. Mereka menjadi sangat posesif terhadap bawaan itu, dan senantiasa waspada tatkala berada di tempat umum, di antara orang-orang yang tidak mereka kenal. Pulang bepergian, barang-barang baru pun diangkut ke rumah, menambah beban bawaan mereka. Barang-barang ini dibawa pulang untuk ditumpuk di suatu tempat di rumah. Usai perjalanan panjang yang melelahkan, tertimpa jetlag, jam tidur kacau karena perbedaan zona waktu, badan pegal-pegal lantaran meringkuk di kursi pesawat kelas ekonomi, kehilangan kopor, senewen mengurus barang-barang bawaan, belum lagi memikirkan oleh-oleh yang akan dibeli untuk teman dan keluarga di rumah, tersesat gara-gara keliru membaca peta.....toh kita masih ingin bepergian lagi! Kenapa orang suka bepergian? Sebetulnya untuk apa mereka pergi? Apa isi kopor-kopor yang mereka bawa itu? Setelah pulang dengan segala macam barang tadi, apa yang mereka perbuat dengannya? Setelah 'foto-foto turis' dicetak, lalu buat apa? Saya geli memikirkan semua ini, tapi saya pun melakukannya dan masih akan melakukannya lagi karena saya masih ingin bepergian lagi, berfoto-foto lagi, menumpuk barang lagi, duduk di kelas ekonomi lagi, pegal-pegal lagi, kena jetlag lagi.....

KONSEP/TEMA PAMERAN INI

Tema pameran ini adalah perjalanan turistik. 'Turis' dan 'oleh-oleh' merupakan dua konsep yang mendasari pameran ini. 'Turis' adalah MENTALITAS. Bukan hanya berarti orang yang melakukan perjalanan ke luar daerah/negeri, melainkan sikap mental dalam menghadapi dunia dan problema-problema kehidupan pada umumnya. Kita bisa melihat para 'turis' mengelola sebuah negara, sebagai contoh! Alangkah kacaunya! 'Oleh-oleh' adalah cara kita melihat BARANG/BENDA. Banyak orang terikat secara berlebihan terhadap benda-benda yang tak berarti. Apakah kepemilikan itu penting, ataukah hanya atas oleh-oleh saja? Kedua konsep itulah yang mendasari pameran ini.

Jadi, saya tidak mengambil persoalan perjalanan bisnis, ekspatriat, atau imigrasi. Meskipun kebiasaan-kebiasaan mereka juga sama dengan turis, misalnya mencuri sendok-garpu di pesawat, dan mereka juga mengalami jet lag, dsb, namun yang saya bicarakan di sini adalah perjalanan para turis, yang menggelikan sekaligus menyenangkan bagi saya, seperti sudah saya terangkan dalam latar belakang.

Turis mungkin saja sempat khawatir tentang terorisme, situasi politik, dsb, tetapi semua itu BUKAN pokok perhatian mereka. Mereka hanya ingin bersenang-senang. Mereka hanya memikirkan persoalan-persoalan tersebut apabila ada kemungkinan tujuan mereka untuk bersenang-senang menjadi terganggu karenanya.

'Depresi' yang saya maksud dalam latar belakang adalah perasaan was-was dan rewel tentang BARANG BAWAAN, takut dicuri atau nyelip dan hilang, dsb, selama di bandara dalam transit dan perjalanan, meskipun orang yang punya barang itu juga tahu bahwa isinya 'cuma' oleh-oleh saja! Saya pakai istilah 'depresi' karena ketidaknormalan SKALA kekhawatiran ini, terlalu berlebihan untuk hal yang sekecil itu. Dan bagi orangnya sendiri akan tampak menggelikan kalau dia sudah sampai di tempat tujuan nanti.

Mengenai perjalanan-perjalanan saya sendiri sebagai sumber ide pameran ini, meskipun saya mengalami jet lag dsb, intinya adalah, saya SENANG mengalami perjalanan-perjalanan itu! Ketidaknyamanan selama dalam perjalanan harus ditanggung, karena saya SENANG berada di luar negeri, senang hidup di luar negeri, dan tanpa naik pesawat dengan segala ketidaknyamanan itu tentu saya tidak akan sampai ke sana, bukan?

Secara jujur saya katakan bahwa bagi saya perjalanan-perjalanan saya sendiri selama ini adalah perjalanan seorang turis. Bukan perjalanan 'artistik' atau perjalanan 'spiritual' atau lainnya. Meskipun saya pergi untuk bekerja atau pameran atau tinggal di luar negeri, dalam pikiran dan perasaan saya itu adalah perjalanan turistik. Karena saya tidak pernah mengalami gegar budaya atau kesenjangan budaya sama sekali. Begitulah saya melihat perjalanan-perjalanan saya, dan itu juga yang saya katakan melalui pameran ini.

TENTANG JUDUL PAMERAN INI

Soal penulisan judul, itu permainan kata dari kalimat bahasa Inggris yang normalnya berbunyi "That was then, this is now". Waktu menjadi kacau dalam perjalanan jarak jauh, melewati dan menuju tempat-tempat yang berlainan zona waktu-nya. Karena itu 'now' dan 'then' bisa bertukar tempat, dan ketika kita mengingat perjalanan yang sudah berlalu, apa yang lampau menjadi kini. Ejaannya sengaja saya pakai bahasa para pembajak program dan pembobol situs internet, yang menggunakan huruf 'z' untuk 's' dan 'd' untuk 'th'. Tidak saya terapkan sepenuhnya di sini karena akan semakin membingungkan (mengeja 'then' dengan 'den' tentu mengubah arti kalimatnya!)

TENTANG KARYA-KARYA YANG DIPAMERKAN

Untuk pertama kalinya dalam pameran ini saya mempertunjukkan seni video. Judulnya "Neverending Journey" ("Perjalanan Tanpa Akhir"). Video itu direkam dari jendela pesawat terbang dalam perjalanan dari kota Jogjakarta di Jawa ke Denpasar di Bali. Video ini dimaksudkan untuk menunjukkan BETAPA MEMBOSANKAN perjalanan jarak jauh, di mana kita hanya bisa melihat langit dan awan saja sepanjang jalan! Namun ada musik dan efek-efek suara dalam video ini, untuk mewakili suasana hati dan ingatan atau imajinasi para penumpang pesawat, tentang apa yang mereka tinggalkan di rumah dan sebagainya, yang teringat atau terpikir pada saat mereka melihat ke luar jendela dan membayangkan apa yang seolah-olah tergambar di awan. Saya membuat siluet untuk mewakili apa yang terjadi dalam perjalanan jarak jauh terutama ke luar negeri; semua orang dan tempat yang dijumpai selama dalam perjalanan dan sebelum sampai ke tujuan adalah 'siluet', tidak terlalu nyata, hanya dipersepsi secara tipis dan cepat, tanpa perhatian. Masalah jam tidur dan kelelahan di Kelas Ekonomi dalam perjalanan jarak jauh saya visualisasikan dalam patung logam pil tidur. Barang-barang bawaan turis yang pulang ke rumah kebanyakan adalah cinderamata, karena itu saya membuat kaos dan tas kain disablon sebagai wakil oleh-oleh yang dibawa pulang dari bepergian, dan dipajang seperti dalam toko. Sementara itu banyak penumpang pesawat yang merupakan problema bagi perusahaan penerbangan, karena mereka suka mencuri perlengkapan pesawat seperti sendok, garpu, dan sebagainya! Saya buat karya-karya dari perak berukir yang mewakili fenomena ini. Peta tentu merupakan barang yang penting dan berguna bagi turis. Saya buat peta tempat-tempat yang saya kenal, berpusat pada apartemen dan studio saya di mancanegara. Ini karena begitulah cara kita membaca peta: kita memusat pada diri sendiri, pada di mana kita berada saat itu. Rumah makan murah, kafe dan lain-lain yang harga makanannya terjangkau, merupakan tempat turis pula, karenanya saya buat bendera-bendera restoran di sini. Buku tandatangan mewakili cara interaksi orang pada saat dalam perjalanan dan di tempat asing, yakni hubungan singkat dan tak berarti, dalam hal ini diwakili oleh sekadar tandatangan orang-orang yang dijumpai. Hanya sebegitulah mereka saling mengenal satu sama lain. Pada akhirnya hubungan-hubungan itu akan menjadi sekadar cinderamata saja dari sebuah episode perjalanan.

Harus dicatat bahwa saya tidak mengumpulkan suvenir atau apa pun untuk dipamerkan dalam kesempatan ini, melainkan saya MEMBUAT mereka dalam studio saya sendiri. Saya MEREKONSTRUKSI mereka. Semua logo, gambar, kata-kata dsb misalnya pada tas dan kaos, semuanya adalah kreasi saya sendiri.

CATATAN AKHIR

Cukup banyak ulasan di media massa mengenai pameran tunggal saya kali ini, tapi tak satu pun menangkap apa yang saya ingin ungkapkan lewat pameran tersebut. Ulasan-ulasan yang terbit mengenai pameran ini membicarakan rasa kesepian karena jauh dari tanah air, ketakutan karena bertemu orang-orang asing, kengerian berada di tempat tak dikenal, dan sebagainya; LUCU SEKALI! Sama sekali bukan itu yang saya ingin katakan melalui pameran ini. Dalam perjalanan jauh, yang saya rasakan adalah CAPEK dan BOSAN! BUKAN SEDIH DAN TAKUT! Saya tak mengerti mengapa kelihatannya orang-orang lain sulit sekali memahami perasaan saya ini. Bukankah cukup banyak orang yang sering bepergian, seperti saya? Tapi mungkin para pengulas pameran ini kebetulan adalah orang-orang yang jarang bepergian, apalagi ke luar negeri yang jauh. Sehingga mereka menulis berdasarkan perasaan mereka sendiri, yang mereka kira sama dengan perasaan siapa pun yang bepergian jauh. Padahal itu sama sekali tak sama dengan perasaan saya!

Untuk lebih memahami pola pikir saya dan apa maksud pameran ini, saya rekomendasikan membaca dua artikel, pertama "Mengutil Perjalanan, Mengacuhkan Teror" oleh pengamat seni rupa Indonesia Mikke Susanto, dan "Bunga Jeruk Continues To Surprise" karya kolektor, kurator dan manajer galeri asal Belanda, Dr. Boudewijn Brands.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT!

The exhibition

Photo © 2002 Bunga Jeruk

Photo © 2002 Bunga Jeruk

Photo © 2002 Oblo Dwi Prasetyo

Photo © 2002 Oblo Dwi Prasetyo

Photo © 2002 Oblo Dwi Prasetyo

The inspiration that made my concept of this exhibition

Kimi photo © 2002 Bunga Jeruk
Kimi t-shirt photo © 2002 Oblo Dwi Prasetyo

My cat Kimi McGrath!
I made t-shirts using his photo, as a keepsake of traveling. Kimi has been my inspiration anywhere I go!

Photo © 2002 Bunga Jeruk

Air traveling! The exhibition is about going on a journey. (Photo taken at the JFK International Airport, New York, USA)

Nindityo Adi Purnomo & Mella Jaarsma
for the chance to exhibit my art @ Cemeti Art House. Especially Mella for being the wonderful hostess of the opening night, helping alot in display and putting the items and equipments off afterwards, and I'm sorry for the litter!

Ilal & all Cemeti Art House & Foundation crews
for the excellent job in managing the exhibition and being good hostesses at the opening night

Edwin Rahardjo
for showing up so far away from Jakarta although late because of hunger ;-P 'n for the huge flower bouquette!

My mother, father 'n sister
for the support; especially my sister for willing to get out of her house to come to the opening night! I never expected that! She shuns art exhibitions anywhere anytime!

Dr. Boudewijn Brands
for liking the souvenirs and for using the mug every morning for coffee! ;-D and for the unpublished review, which is the BEST among what I have read about my exhibition this time.

NEXT PAGE