It was never an environment of self-expression to
begin with.
I guess I am known as the Indonesian female
artist who plays with private symbols and hidden messages in her artwork,
possibly but inevitably.
Indonesian female artists like myself are forced
to create works with allegorical and symbol-laden styles to carry our personal
or social messages, to satisfy the restrictions of our culture which does not
approve of straightforward critical opinions.
I would say it was culture, history and past
experiences which shaped our Indonesian arts scene. From the times where under
Suharto’s New Order regime, there was an attempt to get rid of opposition
forces and political dissidents in order to ensure political stability within his
rule, hence cultural expression was banned or heavily censored, and art which
had political and social connotations was discouraged. Artists could no longer
express themselves freely through their works and many artists went on to concentrate
on the aesthetic and decorative elements of art.
Being constantly oppressed under the New Order
regime, the importance of taking charge to define oneself and one’s own rights
to expression and emotion is amplified in the Post-Suharto period. It became of
great significance to liberate oneself and question issues that one could not
discuss in the past. Hence, there was an urgent need to constantly remind and
resist against social paradigms.
And thus, even after the New Arts Movement (post-Suharto) took place- which promoted the freedom of expression- many artists were still trapped in societal norms and restrictions, forced to succumb by adopting symbols instead.
I wouldn't say that every single Indonesian artist use symbols and hidden messages to express themselves like I do, but I truly believe that culture, be it the discriminatory stance the society has on females or be it on cultivating the habit for indirect expression has made a certain significant change in the Indonesian arts scene.
No comments:
Post a Comment