untuk menghormati kaum minoritas - seraya mengingat Tragedi Mei 1998
An Interview with Arahmaiani
By : Iola Lenzi
Iola Lenzi: You started making visual art and scripting performances
relating to the signs and symbols of Islam a few years after the
events of 9/11. Can you explain firstly, what has motivated you to do
this, and secondly, why you approach this complex subject in this
specific way.
Arahmaiani: Firstly, since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and then
especially in the aftermath of 9/11, the Western media has generally
been negative in its construction of the imagery of Islam and
Muslims. The assumptions that Muslims are terrorists and that Islam is
a religion of violence have become pervasive. But these assumptions do
not reflect reality. Indeed, a Gallup Poll based on tens of thousands
of interviews with residents of more than 35 predominantly Muslim
nations shows them to be quite false (cf. John L.Esposito and Dalia
Mogahed,'Who Speaks For Islam' for a full analysis of this poll). In
reality most Muslims do not tolerate any kind of violence,
particularly in the name of religion or Allah, and most do not hate
Westerners. By manipulating signs and symbols, Islam's public image in
non-Muslim societies has too long been dominated by the false
suggestion of fright and terror so my work aims to correct this
negative image. As for your second question, because in the Islamic
world text has traditionally been separated from image, the result has
been the dominance of a rigid scriptural interpretation that I feel it
is important to challenge. This is what my art is tackling in its use
of text.
IL: You and I have worked together on numerous occasions and I note
that your expressive methodology and the themes you explore are very
different according to the audience you are addressing. When you make
art for an Indonesian audience, you talk about certain things, whereas
when you make art for viewers outside Indonesia, you investigate other
subjects. Can you explain why you do this.
A: I think my approach to art is quite clear: whatever the context, I
want to bring problems to the table, to provoke discussion and
thought, to interfere with debate, and to participate in social
processes. I have noticed that local problems and concerns can differ
substantially from those in the broader, outside world, though
sometimes they can also intersect and overlap. So if one wants to be
effective addressing problems, then these need to be handled according
to their specific nature and exigencies and so as an artist one needs
to be aware of, and understand, this local-global tension.
IL: Many people would describe you as an activist artist, a political
artist, because your work centres around issues that concern society.
I think it can be argued that a great deal of art, if indirectly, has
something to say about the world beyond the self. Can you explain why
you think art is an appropriate tool for reaching out to people on
such topics.
A: I think art can function as a catalyst in society if the market and
politics do not interfere with it too much. Art is a form of
communication that is open to possibilities and interpretation so art
can bring things together, can provide a new perspective. This being
said, art still has to stand as an autonomous discourse and narrative.
When this is the case, art can then be an appropriate tool for
reaching out to people. The term ' activist-artist' may not be totally
accurate in representing this kind of artist and activity. There may
be a more appropriate term for this – I don't know.
IL: On a related subject, do you think artists have a role to play
using their voice to bring attention to the downtrodden, the
disenfranchised, environmental problems etc…?
A: I think the artist is also a normal human being who needs a healthy
kind of social or communal life besides working as an individual.
Artists also live on this (wretched) earth. And most artists in this
world are also relatively poor (especially those who come from the
so-called third-world like myself). Once the artist has understood how
the cultural industry is controlled by conglomerates and has
recognized that the art world is not free from their grip, then the
artist must re-think the function of art as well as her/his role in
society too. Obviously the artist who is aware of her/his situation
living on this (melting) planet will have to play a role using her/his
voice to bring attention to problems we all have to deal with.
IL: Though your art over the years has consistently looked outward to
the world, aiming to prod its audience into thinking more deeply about
many things, it seems to me to have evolved in its approach in the
last decade. Performances of the mid 1990's were often provocative and
polarizing, probably eliciting a strong and immediate reaction from
the viewer. More recently however your material work and performances
have struck me as more inclined to humour, probing perhaps deeper but
more gently. They strike me as more thoughtful and less visually
confrontational. Firstly do you agree with my analysis of this
evolution. Secondly, if you do agree, do you think this development
reflects evolving realities in Indonesia or rather, a shift in your
own life.
A: Yes I agree with your analysis. As an artist with the approach I
have described and clarified above, and because I deal with problems
and intentionally want to be involved in social processes, I have had
to develop different kinds of work strategies for different times and
different situations. Provocation and humor are methods that can
apply when needed and necessary. But the deeper understanding of the
nature of the problems is the aim. My ultimate goal in participating
in social processes is to provoke change: change to a better
situation, to a more human and more just system. I don't know if this
has to do with evolving realities in Indonesia – I'm not sure.
Indonesia has been undergoing a democratic process over the last 10
years (we call it the Reform Era). There have been some improvements
such as freedom of the press and the elimination of the military's
involvement in politics. However, there have also been changes for the
worse, such as for example an increase in corruption and environmental
destruction. Probably this evolution has more to do with the shift in
my life and my creative methods themselves.
IL: Some curators have said that socio-political art in Indonesia is a
fashion and that now this fashion is more or less dead. I disagree and
think that it is not the socio-political content that has disappeared,
but rather the way of expressing it. Looking around in Yogyakarta
however, one does see a lot of art that appears to have little
meaning, social or otherwise. What do you make of the current
art-world situation in Indonesia.
A: I think that those who see so-called political art as a fashion
are using market parameters to judge – you know when people describe '
style' or' genre' in the context of the market, the terms reference
fashion. But those who are dealing with real social- political
problems (which unfortunately never cease to exist) will continue to
make political art whether the market or curators say it's
fashionable or not! Probably art with political content in Yogya is
not as prominent as before but it is not disappearing. Last year I
curated a show including 34 young artists involved in dealing with
particular issues relating to "10 Years of Reform Era". Well, those
young artists developed their own way of expressing these issues,
which is exciting! Certainly it is true that there is more mindless
and meaningless art in Yogya now and that this sells well in the
market. But this doesn't mean that all Yogya artists are turning to
this mindless activity for the sake of money. And this is also true
more generally with Indonesian artists.
IL: For the past while you have been using the Malay world's variation
of Arabic script, called Jawi, for your performances and
installations. Because of Jawi's interesting ability to phonetically
reproduce the sounds of other languages, you have used the script to
deliver a variety of messages in a number of different places around
the world. China,
Australia, the Middle East, Germany, Japan….
Firstly, can you explain what motivated you to first see Jawi as a
tool for art making. Also, why you feel Jawi manages to connect the
world of Islam to the non-Muslim world. Please describe in a little
detail what you have done with Jawi in these various countries or any
others. Finally, give some idea of the reaction the work has had from
the people there.
A: As well as Jawi embodying an important cultural heritage that is
still alive in Southeast Asia's Muslim world, it is also living proof
of flexible and hybrid cultural practices in the Muslim world. In
numerous cases Jawi is also used to compose a form or stand in as a
constellation to produce an image (like a good Wayang figure for
example). In recent years, the script has been abused in two different
camps. On one hand I think the radical Muslim is trying to monopolize
the interpretation of religious texts and banish images from texts; on
the other, the Western media also distorts the meaning of this
symbolic form of script and tries to impose the idea that it suggests
terror and fright for example. So if one believes either camp, there
are no other possible interpretation and we are all (Muslims and
non-Muslims) stuck in this trap of reductive interpretation! But Jawi
as a creation of Southeast Asian Muslims, by definition provides the
opportunity to connect different worlds of culture because of its
interesting ability to phonetically reproduce the sounds of other
languages. What I have done with Jawi so far is to essentially find
new possibilities for its functional form of esthetics, using it to
bridge different cultures or to stimulate associations and thoughts.
The reactions I have had so far, from both the Muslim and non-Muslim
world, are positive. What people in the various places see in the work
is probably quite different but so far the strategy is working well
and producing fascinating results!
IL: Moving on to the new work you are putting up at Esplanade that you
call I LOVE YOU (after Joseph Beuys Social Sculpture), can you please
elaborate on your choice of words for the new work. The title is 'I
love you', a phrase of universal connotation but that has a number of
meanings according to context. What do you intend here in Singapore.
Also, can you explain whether, in making it, you considered in any
detail the specific Singapore audience you were addressing-. Singapore
as you will remember, experienced serious racial tensions in the years
after independence and as a result, has enacted pro-active legislation
protecting the rights of minorities. Singapore, probably uniquely,
boasts four official languages that include English, Mandarin, Malay
and Tamil. Islam is of course a minority religion in Singapore. Tell
me how your new work aims to enter the specific Singapore context.
A: Yes, a sentence such as 'I Love You' is universal but introduced
into a more specific context, can also have a more specific meaning.
While the sentence and installation title 'I Love You (After Joseph
Beuys Social Sculpture)' emphasizes a very specific context, so the
combinations of Jawi, the flags, the formal aspect of the scipt
itself, and the performance I will present at the exhibition opening
will, I hope, alter the work's perceived meaning, provoke thought, and
trigger the imagination. The Islamic teaching I have had from my
parents and ancestors puts a great deal of emphasis on LOVE. It is an
important principle and loving one's neighbors as well as one's family
is considered obligatory. I know that the Muslims in Singapore are in
the minority and mostly Malay. I think the pro-active legislation
protecting the rights of minorities is what everybody needs. In this
globalized world people are migrating from one place to another
willingly or due to economic forces so there are minorities everywhere
and they have to be protected! I hope this piece of work will says
something to Muslims and Singaporeans in general – something about
equality, about kindness, compassion, and respect and solidarity for
others (especially the minority).
IL: Please talk a little about your reference to 'Joseph Beuys Social
Sculpture'. How does that artist's work tie in with yours.
A: I used to study in Holland and the work of Beuys was my focus since
I saw close connections between his approach to art and mine. Though
the specific German context is essential to understanding Beuys, I
found in his concepts many similarities with Asian views – especially
in Beuys' spiritual interpretation of nature. Further, Beuys' activist
component, his 'extended definition of art' fits with and confirms my
goals in art making, as explained above.
IL: You are planning a performance alongside your new installation.
Though performances tend to be spontaneous, can you divulge something
of its content and the role you expect the Singapore audience to play
in it.
A: My performance will be a kind of participating performance with the
audience encouraged to take part. The audience and I will experience
being together in spirit, in a state of sisterhood and brotherhood,
carrying and protecting the values necessary to live on this earth
justly and humanly by marching and waving flags together.
Yogyakarta, 25 April 2009
Arahmaiani
------------------------------------
blog: http://artculture-indonesia.blogspot.com
-----------------------
Art & Culture Indonesia (ACI) peduli pada pengembangan seni budaya Nusantara warisan nenek moyang kita. Warna-warni dan keragaman seni budaya Indonesia adalah anugerah terindah yang kita miliki. Upaya menyeragamkan dan memonopoli kiprah seni budaya Indonesia dalam satu pemahaman harus kita tentang mati-matian hingga titik darah penghabisan.
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artculture-indonesia/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artculture-indonesia/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:artculture-indonesia-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:artculture-indonesia-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
artculture-indonesia-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment