Art and Culture, Indonesia


Intertwined with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants the art and culture of Indonesia is rich in itself with Western thoughts brought by Portuguese traders and Dutch colonists. The art and culture of Indonesia has been shaped around its hundreds of ethnic groups, each with cultural differences that have shifted over the centuries. Modern-day Indonesian culture is a fusion of cultural aspects from Arabic, Chinese, Malay and European sources. Indonesian art and culture has also been influenced from the ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East leading to many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam.

Language : The official language of Indonesia is 'Indonesian' or 'Bahasa Indonesia'. It's universally taught in schools and is spoken by nearly every Indonesian in business, politics, national media, education and academia. The Indonesians also speak several hundreds of local languages like 'bahasa daerah' as their first language. Javanese is also widely used besides other Papuan or Austronesian languages in a region of just 2.7 million people.



Religion : The government of Indonesia officially recognizes only six religions, viz Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Confucianism. The largest religious group in Indonesia is Islam with almost 86% of Indonesians being Muslims. Indonesia is also the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world.

Literature : Indonesia has created many internationally famous celebrated authors. There has also been a long tradition, particularly among ethnically Malay populations, of impromptu, interactive, verbal composition of poetry referred to as the 'pantun'. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, a well-known author won the Magsaysay Award and was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Chairil Anwar was also an important figure in the literature world and a member of the Generation 45 group of authors who were active in the Indonesian independence movement.

Music : Home to hundreds of forms of music, it plays an important role in Indonesia's art and culture. Traces of its origin can be made to the islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali. 'Gamelan' is the traditional music from Central- and East Java and Bali. Another very popular style of music is 'Dangdut' which is accompanied with free dance style. This style first came up in the 1970s and is quite useful in political campaigns. Other forms of music include the Keroncong with its roots in Portugal, the soft Sasando music from West Timor and Degung and Angklung from West Java, which is played with bamboo instruments.

Dance : The traditional dances depict episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata from India. Traditional Javanese and Balinese tinge is also seen in the dance forms of Indonesian art and culture. The highly stylized dances of the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta are some of the popular variations. Mythological events of Indonesia are also depicted.

Drama and Theatre: The Javanese and Balinese shadow puppet theatre shows 'wayang kulit' displaying several mythological events. A traditional folk theatre, Randai of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, is performed during ceremonies and festivals. Music, singing, dance, drama and the silat martial art are all incorporated together and are based on the stories of the legend.

Architecture : Indonesian culture, especially its architecture has been to a great extent dominated and influenced by the Indian, although European influences have also been particularly strong since the nineteenth century. Traditional buildings in Indonesia are built on stilts with oversized saddle roofs which have been the home of the Batak and the Toraja. The Torajan use the buffalo horns, stacked one above another in front of the house as an indication of status. Scenes from the Ramayana adorn the outer walls in different colors. However, Chinese, Arab, and European architectural influences have also been quite significant in Indonesian architecture.

Art : The arts of Indonesia are many, especially Indonesian paintings which are unique works of art. The intricate and expressive Balinese paintings are quite famous and often express natural scenes and themes from the traditional dances. A long-standing tradition of sculpture can also be seen in the art and culture of Indonesia, some dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Examples of sculpture illustrating the story of the life of Buddha can be seen in the temples of the 8th and the 10th century. Indonesia's art and culture is also famous for their unique batik, ikat and songket cloth which is even popular today.

Cuisine : Indonesians distinctive cuisine has been derived from centuries with the influence of the Chinese, European, Middle Eastern and the Indians. The staple food of most Indonesian dishes is rice served with meat and vegetables. Flavors of Vietnamese and Thai food can also be got from the cuisine of Indonesia. Spices, notably chili, and coconut milk are fundamental ingredients in most of the dishes, especially fish and chicken

ETCHING AS A WAY OF LIFE


In Indonesia, graphic art has never been as appreciated as other genres, for instance, painting. This is not to say that there are no artists making graphic art. In fact, printmaking was part of the curriculum of the Visual Arts Department of the Bandung Institute of Technology, ITB, the first official school of art after Indonesia gained its independence in 1945, where the late Mochtar Apin (1923-1994) - one of the pre-eminent painters who had spent long periods of time in Europe - was a lecturer.

The teachers college in Bandung already existed as part of the Technische Hogeschool. In 1959 it was upgraded to the Faculty of Fine Art and Design of the Bandung Institute of Technology, whose orientation was toward the West and art development in Europe. Graphic art was part of the curriculum, and the initial woodcut and linocut specialization broadened to include lithography, etching, and silkscreen printing. Printmaking was also taught in other schools of art in Indonesia, and it is therefore not surprising that it became fairly popular. But while many do include etching in their work, most focus on serigraphy and graphic design.

But Tisna Sanjaya (b. 1968), an artist who works on levels of multi-dimension and extreme creativity, made etching his way of life. "Etching," says Tisna, "is like a long meditation, stretching from preparing the first layer to the end of multiple layers." When making an etching, he contemplates every facet of the process, pondering every tool and chemical used, immersing himself in the tonal effects of aquatint - which leads to contemplating the many sides of life.

Tisna Sanjaya stayed in Germany twice in his artistic career . From 1991-1994, the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the Goethe Institute awarded Tisna a fellowship to study in Braunschweig, where he obtained his diploma from the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (HBK) in 1994. In 1997 he was again able to be in Germany for a period of one year, after which he was a Master Student with Prof. Karl-Christoph Schulz (DAAD fellowship), HBK Braunschweig. Germany has had a crucial influence on his art making. Alone, a foreigner amid the somber weather dominating life in Germany, he found his inner self by immersing in his art. Nothing else mattered, he was there, alone with his creative power and, driven by his creative urges, he made his best etchings ever during those times in Germany.

Socially engaged since he was a boy and coming from a deep Muslim religious family, even at a young age he was fascinated by the early European classical technique of etching and foremost by the German Expressionists like Käthe Kollwitz, who used her art to try to change society against all odds. Tisna Sanjaya uses the technique to express a personal viewpoint, creating real meaning from contemporary existence in the Indonesian context. As a youth, he also has a fascination for theater, which became even stronger in his "German period", when he became influenced by Jörg Immendorf (1945-2007), who often produced large canvases fraught with a literal theater of decadence and stage set compositions alluding to the illusionary aspects of art, and, using color as an accent, by Otto Dix (1891-1969), the great German Expressionist, famous for his unique and grotesque style, … and Josef Beuys (1921-1986).

As he experienced his solitary seclusion in Germany, his sadness about the repression at home became even more poignant. The repressive measures of the Soeharto regime that had come to power in 1966 were affecting ordinary, innocent people and stifling free expression of any kind. Here, in the peaceful environs of Braunschweig, Tisna Sanjaya poured all his sadness, concerns, sharp critique, and annoyance into works that reflected both the power of his artistic might and a profound sense of compassion.

In his 13th solo exhibition, titled "Ideocracy: Rethinking the Regime of Etching", held in December 2008 at the National Gallery in Jakarta, this was revealed in works titled Teater, Teater Absurd, Teater Rhinoceros, Pesta Pencuri (Party of Thieves), 32 etsa membosankan (32 boring etchings), all referring to the follies of Indonesia's political stage and his profound sadness about the repression there that was not only taking people's lives, but also killing creative thinking and cultural development.

Other works from this period, like Hentikan Kekerasan (Stop Violence) and Katarsis, feature figures or faces trapped in a mesh of bold lines, revealing his sadness about what was happening to artists. Of course, his thoughts about the situation in Indonesia were intensified by happenings in other countries and his readings of international events.

The influence of the European classics continues to be seen in his more recent works that make use mixed media. The large works, a series of 14 panels titled Amnesia Cultura, a mixed media work made in 2008, is an outflow of his earlier contemplations when making etchings. It encompasses all the issues of repression, violence, and hardships, featuring his body print shaped by ash and pulverized charcoal.

Ash and pulverized charcoal continue to be part of his installations. When one of his works was burned by city cleaners who took it for waste, he gathered the ashes and put them in small bottles that later appeared as a new creation, an installation that tells of life after death. And when a fire destroyed a major book market in Bandung, he collected the remains of the fire and re-created the burned books in an installation titled Palasari.

As Tisna Sanjaya proceeds on his path of excellence, developing his creativity with media that go beyond etching, he continues to apply the thorough multi-level process he is used to as an etcher. In so doing, he retains the integrity that marks a genuine artis

A self-portrait from Vincent van Gogh, an African Chokwe-statue, detail from the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and a Japanse Shisa lion.

Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.

The definition and evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the early 20th century. Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans. An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.

Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science". Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.

The nature of art has been described by Richard Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture". It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation. Leo Tolstoy identified art as a use of indirect means to communicate from one person to another. Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood advanced the idealist view that art expresses emotions, and that the work of art therefore essentially exists in the mind of the creator. The theory of art as form has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and was developed in the early twentieth century by Roger Fry and Clive Bell. Art as mimesis or representation has deep roots in the philosophy of Aristotle. More recently, thinkers influenced by Martin Heidegger have interpreted art as the means by which a community develops for itself a medium for self-expression and interpretation.