Another Show

Hi everyone, I will be exhibiting my work once again at the China International Gallery Exposition this year. It will be at the China World Trade Center in Beijing and it ends on 28 April 2008.

Something Interesting

I recently visited an exhibition by Jeff Gillette called "Dismayland", and I have to say I finally found an artist who tackles themes that are rather similar to my own. 

His works involve an interesting juxtaposition of Disney characters outside the usual plushy confines of Walt Disney created settings, but instead are placed among barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland and decrepit conditions of third world countries. These places remind me of my hometown, Indonesia. 

There is a sense of beauty and surrealism in his paintings. Similar to my earlier works, they have created an illusion of vast space. They made me think. They made me think of the present connection between consumerist images, tourism and entertainment, and the poverty of the slums. 

His art is interesting.

Me, a pop icon artist?

Andy Warhol
2008
Oil on Canvas

John and Yoko Ono
Acrylic on Canvas

No More John and George on Abbey Road
Acrylic on Canvas

"Wendt Gallery is pleased to announce we will be hosting the first one man show for pop icon artist Dede Eri Supria in Fall 2011. The exhibition will be featured at both the New York City and Laguna Beach locations"

Me, a pop icon artist?

As I said in a previous post, I do not simply transfer reality onto canvas. This reality is the reality that I see in my own eyes. The world is different for me because I see these changes in our society from my own perspective. Even though I portray very clearly the events taking place in my surrounding, I paint realism not to portray something that represents this reality; rather, I paint from the construction that I have established.

Lately, I have been increasingly preoccupied with pop culture and pop icons. Andy Warhol, The Beatles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono... such ubiquitous subjects these are, and such a pervasive influence they hold over our lives. Do we, as people living in this moment, realize the extent that our lives have been changed by these pop culture icons and images, fed into our homes everyday through television and magazines?

The American hegemony is what I am concerned about here. I fear that with globalization and the continuing dominance of the Western culture, our society will slowly lose the essence of its culture as it gives way to these outside influences. Already, these influences can be seen in the way people live out their lives in Indonesia - people increasingly patronizing American fast food chains, subscribing to Western values and ideas, listening to Western music...

People who have been following my works through my career will know that the true meaning of my paintings do not lie in their surface appearance. Indeed, my art often utilizes symbolism to convey a far greater truth. In the three paintings above, I made use of pop icons in our urban society to create a fabricated reality that is capable of connecting with viewers and provoking a deeper emotional and intellectual response. Andy Warhol, in this instance, is such an apt subject to paint as he is the embodiment of pop culture and consumerism itself.

For those out there criticizing me for my change in artistic style, you don't know me well enough. This change has been continuous. I find, increasingly, that if I want to reach out to a greater spectrum of people, I have to adjust the subjects used accordingly so that my works can act as a mirror to allow for correlation with reality, as symbolized in my own style. It is a process similar to globalization, a process everyone has to adjust to in all aspects of our lives. My underlying message, my use of symbolism and obscurity has not changed. Instead, I feel that I have gained greater maturity in symbolizing reality, having moved away from my heavy use of visual elements such as the labyrinth in my earlier days. 

Two Exhibitions this year.

"Imagine Affandi", Gedung Arsip Nasional, Jarkarta 2007
Shanghai Art Fair International Contemporary Art Exhibition, Shanghai, China 2007

Do drop by any of these shows if you are free. 

Recurring themes #2

Something else I'm preoccupied with, especially in my earlier works: the life of urban workers. Or you can see it as a subset of theme#1 - social change. The main subjects in these paintings are members of the working-class trying to make a living, and even the lower-class "outcasts" struggling to make ends meet amidst the city dump

Survivors
2005
Oil on Canvas

Yellow Troops
1993
Oil on Canvas

The Urban Class
1981
Oil on Canvas

Though most of my paintings carry symbolic meanings with humanitarian themes or themes about the environment in which I live. My paintings are not at all meant as social criticism, because truly the themes I take from the life of the people are in themselves stark facts... The way I paint is determined by what I think is artistic. Whatever I do, it is as if I always have a feeling of moral responsibility towards life such as you find it here in Jakarta... Maybe I hope that, besides the artistic quality and beauty of a specific painting, people will also be drawn into thinking about the fact that all around us there are many problems which need to be faced. 

One of these problems are the low skilled workers we commonly see. While the cosmopolitan upper-middle class enjoy their lives, these people have to struggle just to survive each day. Their side of the story, amidst the consumerist lifestyle we subscribe to, is one that most would choose to ignore. I painted these paintings with an apathetic attitude, similar to the indifference that many people in our society have towards these people. This is perhaps why these painting have earned myself the criticism of being "cold" and "technical". 

I will stress again that I do empathize with the plight of these workers. However, I would like the viewers to interpret these paintings for themselves, and therefore I shouldn't be trying to pass judgement of the situation onto people.  I see myself merely as an artist with the responsibility of conveying these images to the public, images we see but often choose to ignore. I am concerned about the change that is leading to a slow deterioration of these people's lives, and I want the society to also be aware and cautious of these changes.

An excerpt from one of my interviews, relevant to this theme:

"We witness everyday the struggle of the urbanites to survive in Jakarta. These people arrive from villages faraway, live in the slum at the heart of the city, amid grand buildings. Or perhaps they come from the fringes of Jakarta, go early in the morning to work, and come back late at night. Just like boxers, these urbanites have to fight and win the game in order to live. They will be crushed if they are unable to survive. They don't do what they dream of. They must struggle with dirty and harsh jobs, with garbage, used cardboards, used things, pollution.

This fact becomes the trigger and challenge for me. There are many aspects of the city life in Jakarta that are so interesting to be portrayed; but it is the struggle of the urbanites that invariably brings me to paint. Painting these urban people, the beggars, the sweepers, the roadside vendors, the rag pickers, the garbage, and the used cardboards is probably unappealing. The challenge is to make them appealing and 'betraying messages.'"

Recurring themes in my art #1

A brief introduction to my art... Here are three recurring themes I find myself constantly working with. I've presented them in different styles throughout my career, but if you look closely, they are all very similar in terms of their underlying content and meaning.

Theme #1 - Social Change
Here are just some examples.

Hujan Beton (Rain of Steel Rods)

Tukang Daging
1981

Between the Red Steel
1992
Oil on Canvas

I was born and raised in Jakarta, a city which not only inspires my work but more than that. Jakarta offers all of life’s possible problems and enjoyments, so I have a certain sentimental feeling about it. The situation in Jakarta is created by the thunder of traffic and the smoke from factories that never stop, the building of the city which continues ceaselessly, the increasing number of inhabitants, and its tumultuous daily life which has become extremely complex. 

It is impossible to be exposed to these sights everyday without being influenced by it. My art, my preoccupation with urban change is therefore bred out of the context of my society.

In these paintings, I tried to present my observations of the urban dilemmas of these people living in a society of continuous - and often overwhelming - change. I take photographs of the metropolis apart and reassemble them into disconcerting, but strangely familiar views. I find a simultaneous presence and absence of humans in these painting - people who are physically there, but their thoughts are miles away, caught up in the strife and confusion of the urban life.

In Hujan Beton (Rain of Steel Rods), I tried to depict the cultural shock of those who come into the city for the first time of their lives from rural areas. The element of scaffolding, though not yet sophisticated, already features in my early works such as this. The workers have on their faces impassive expressions, eyes that do not reveal their emotions or inner thoughts. Are they anticipating their future in the city, filled with opportunities to better the lives of themselves and their families? Or are they weighed down by a sense of unease, confusion and insecurity at their prospects in surviving the city? 

I consider Tukang Daging as one of my earliest works in my mature style, painted in the 'super-realist' style I am known for. In this painting, I tried to present not only the reality, but also the atmosphere and mood of the moment. The table, the meat, the seller sitting impassively waiting for customers are all parts of a roadside market that can be found anywhere in urban Indonesia. I placed these elements against a backdrop of cracked and barren ground, where there is no correlation between the seller and his environment. In doing so, I aimed to highlight the sense of anonymity and alienation of the seller from his surroundings. The environment is bleak and absent of humanity. From my perspective, this is reality for the multitude of people living the same life as this seller.

You will notice that the piece of meat hanging from the wooden flanks of the stall occupies the center of the composition. It has a special meaning too, a metaphor for something. I shall elaborate no more; its significance is up to the public to decide.

In the final painting, "Between the Red Steel", I heavily utilized the element of scaffolding. These metal flanks are like the vigor and oppression of urban life, separating us from each other. Again, I played with the simultaneous absence and presence of humans in the composition - the people were physically there, but their gazes do not connect to each other nor the viewer. They exist as lone individuals in this painting, caught up in their own worries, indifferent to the presence of others. I fear that this is where our society will be heading - an environment devoid of warmth and humanity.

Reply to Andy Warhol

dede, what were your thoughts behind the colour palette for this painting?

I would like to address this question by Mr. Warhol on my post "Photorealism just doesn't cut it for me".

Similar to many of my other paintings, "Send in the Clowns" is painted with lots of red for the simple reason that it gives a sense of desolation, thus reflecting the plight of the poor living in the city. I think that the use of colours is an important part of my work as it helps in conveying the emotion that I want people to feel.

I hope that answered your question Mr. Warhol, and thank you for your comment.