Peace for Tibet!

[Photo: www.freetibet.org]

Deeply sympathy from the bottom of my heart to
the people of Tibet. May God bless your freedom.


Warm regards,
Tubagus P. Svarajati

Rethinking of Mooi Indie

Krisna Murti between his two paintings.

[Photo: Ferintus Karbon]

“I am very proud to be here, in the exhibition of one of the greatest video artist we have,” said Dr Oei Hong Djien, “Though I was very busy, but I force myself to attend this important event.” He was at Rumah Seni Yaitu and scheduled to officiated Krisna Murti’s solo exhibition Forbidden Zone, Friday, March 14.

Dr Oei, an Indonesia leading art collector with excellent reputation, then telling his witness about Semarang’s art scene. He acclaimed that art scene here has been sleeping for a along time. Eight years ago when he inaugurated a gallery Dr Oei had said the condition. But last year for his surprise he watched Entang Wiharso, a well reputable artist based in Yogyakarta, showed his solo exhibition in Semarang, precisely at Rumah Seni Yaitu. Surely now Dr Oei would change his statement to know a vigorous art practices in the city right now.

Standing before audiences, nearly one hundred art lovers, Dr Oei then spoke with cheers telling his valuable acknowledges. It was great time to have Dr Oei in a small art space I run. And I thought that was also an honor for our local art scene.

Dr Oei Hong Djien is inspecting the works.
[Photo: Ferintus Karbon]

Before Dr Oei, the artist Krisna Murti, who was growing and finishing his high school in Semarang, shared his ideas on Forbidden Zone to the attendants. Shortly he explained the idea of his works, in general he is rethinking the practices of landscape painting particularly relating to the Mooi Indie style of the Dutch East Indies school.

Krisna Murti is showing twenty paintings, five digital prints in “Glare Series” and three videos. The videos are “Airplane” (video stills, sequences, dvd loop), “Mirrorscape” (dvd loop), and “Kala-scape” (dvd loop). Airplane and Mirrorscape are showed with different views, the images were projected behind a (oneway) screen with delighted frames. People then will see as if those videos are paintings. But they are truly moving-paintings.

"Collosseum" by Krisna Murti

The very subject matters of Krina’s paintings are landscape, seascape and skyscape. Almost of all his canvasses the sky is dominant. He just want to show different perspective on landscape paradigm.

"Do not Over Take!" by Krisna Murti

According to Amanda Katherine Rath, at first glance, Krisna’s foray into the concept of landscape and images of landscape (moving and still) perhaps seems to participate in the ubiquitous eye candy that comprises much of the contemporary art in the glutted market of the international art exhibition, or Biennale-ism. But indeed the artist is questioning the bounderies between the discourses of high and low art, fine art and advertising, between high and low art. Such a supposed transgression is not in the theme or images but in the manner or way they are presented.

Discussion with the artist.

[Photo: Ferintus Karbon]

“Forbidden Zone, made this year, moves well beyond the documentary and may well be Murti’s most conceptually mixed and topically wide-ranging multi-media installation to date,” stated Iola Lenzi a curator based in Singapore.***

Philosophy Talk

Philosphy Discussion
“Space in Javanese Culture and Foucaultian”

Monday, March 17-2008 at 7 p.m.

Speakers:
Bambang Supriyadi a.k.a. Pipiek (Diponegoro University, Semarang)
Donny Danardono (Catholic University of Soegijapranata, Semarang)

Moderator:
Tjahjono Rahardjo (Catholic University of Soegijapranata, Semarang)

Bambang Supriyadi a.k.a. Pipiek will deliver his paper “To Open Javanese Space through the Analysist of Dewaruci Ancient Literature”. Pipiek ia a lecturer of Diponegoro University and now is finishing his doctoral degree at the same institution he is teaching.

Donny Danardono is a lecturer of law philosophy in Catholic University of Soegijapranata Semarang and a candidate of philosophy degree in Nijmegen University, the Netherlands. He is going to discuss his paper “Michel Foucault on Dewaruci, A Discourse of Space, Power and Ethics”. This gentleman is known as an urban culture observer.

The discussion is moderated by Tjahjono Rahardjo, a lecturer in Architecture Department, Catholic University of Soegijapranata Semarang and also known as a practicioner of Javanese gamelan music.

This event is supported by Catholic University of Soegijapranata and Diponegoro University.

The discussion is opened for public and with no admission. Welcome!

Forbidden Zone

FORBIDDEN ZONE
painting – digital print – video
by Krisna Murti
March 14—29, 2008

Opening:
March 14, 2008 at 7 p.m.

Officiated by Dr Oei Hong Djien

I suppose that the landscape in “Forbidden Zone” is only a small portrait of a cultural position, identity, or an attempt of the Indonesian people to understand todays reality. It seems that it is clearly but in fact we have yet to really discuss and understand this reality. [Krisna Murti]

In “Forbidden Zone” Krisna Murti professes to blur the boundaries between the discourses of high and low art, fine art and advertising, between high and low art. Such a supposed transgression is not in the theme or images but in the manner or way they are presented. [Amanda Khaterine Rath]

Whatever Murti’s choice of media, theme and form, his works of recent years all share a sharply-focused presentation of multi-prismic viewpoints, an interrogation of received and conventional meaning, and a keen awareness of the power of sensory evocation in the articulation of complex and possibly divisive issues. [Iola Lenzi]

Krisna Murti
Born in 1957, lives and works in Bandung/ Jakarta

Education
1976-81:
Faculty of Art and Design – Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung

Working Experiences
1981-82:
Assistant to Prof. Ahmad Sadali for art philosophy studies, Faculty of Art and Design, ITB, Bandung
1999:
Artist in Residence, Art Exchange Program (AEP), Fukuoka, Japan
1996:
Workshop on Asean Art, La Salle SIA College of Art – Singapore Art Council, Singapore
2002:
Founder of the first International new media art festival in Indonesia: bavf~NAF
#1 (The Bandung Video, Film and New Media Art Forum)
2002-04:
Supervision of Master of Visual Art - MVA - Candidate, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
2003-…:
Guest Lecturer of Master of Visual and Performing Arts Program (New Media Art Studies), Indonesia Institute of Arts, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2006:
Artist in Residence, La Salle College of the Arts, Singapore

Selected Solo Exhibition
2008:
“Forbidden Zone” painting, digital print and video, Rumah Seni Yaitu (Semarang, March 14th-29th); Gaya Fusion of Senses Gallery (Ubud-Bali, April 5th-23rd) and National Gallery of Indonesia (Jakarta, April 29th-May 11th) [catalogue]
2005:
“Video Spa”, video installation, Gaya Fusion of Senses Gallery, Ubud, Bali
2004:
“Video Spa”, video installation, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
2002:
“Wayang Machine”, video installation (5 projections), Japan Foundation, Jakarta and Centre Culturel Francais, Yogyakarta
2000:
“boo it yourSELF’” Sound/Video Installation, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
1999:
“Foodstuffs are Ethnic, Never Racist”, video installation, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta.
1997:
“My Ancestors are Sangiran Man”, video installation, TBS Surakarta; Lontar Gallery, Jakarta; RedPoint Studio, Bandung
1997:
“Of The Dancer: Her Neglected Sketches”, video art, Youth Theatre, Moscow
1996:
“Learning to Queue Up to The Ants”, performance video installation, Soemardja Gallery, ITB, Bandung
1993:
“12 Hours in The Life of Agung Rai, The Dancer”, video performance-photo installation, Studio R-66, Bandung

Selected Group Exhibition
2007:
“Neo-Nation”, Biennale Jogja IX, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta
2007:
“Thermocline of Art, New Asian Waves”, Centre for Art and Media ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany.
2006:
“Going Digital”, Festival Oversteek, Theater de Kikker, Utrech, the Netherlands
2006:
“Beyond”, Jakarta Biennale, Jakarta
2005:
Venice Biennale, Indonesian Pavillion, Venice, Italy
2005:
“Taboo and Transgression in Contemporary Indonesian Art”, The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York, USA
2005:
“Asia Video art Showing” (Avicon), Kyoto Seika University, Institute for Media Arts, Kyoto, Japan
2005:
“Xeno-Tech” (curated by Deanna Herst), Transmediale Media Art Festival, Berlin
2004 “SENI: Art and the Contemporary”, moving picture, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore (Oct)
2004:
“Pathiharn Electron”, switch media, Art Museum of Chiang Mai, Thailand
2004:
“Identities vs Globalisation”, organised by Heinrich Boll Foundation, Art Museum
of Chiang Mai (Feb) and National Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand (May), and Dahlem
Museum Complex, Berlin (Sept-Oct 04)
2003:
Asia Videoart Conference (AVICON) 2003, organized by VC Tokyo, POLA Annex Museum, Ginza, Tokyo
2003:
“Interpellation”, CP Open Biennale, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta
2003:
“House”, 10 Video Artists of Indonesia , Plastic Kinetic Worms, Singapore
2003:
“TRANSIT 8 Views of Indonesia”, multicultural Indonesia new media art show in
Australia: Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts, Townsville, Queensland (May-
June) and 24 HR ART, Northern Territory Centre for Contemporary Art, Darwin
(September)
2003:
“15 Tracks: South East Asia Contemporary Art”, organized by Singapore Art
Museum, Tama University Gallery, Tokyo (July) and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum,
Fukuoka, Japan (December)
2003:
“Human Beings as Part of Nature”, 2nd Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial (Short Video
Festival), 7 cities of Echigo-Tsumari region (24 public spaces), Japan
2002:
“Spice Routes”, ifa Galerie, Stuttgart, Germany
2002-03:
“36 Ideas from Asia, Contemporary South East Asia Art" (organized by
Singapore Art Museum) in German (Duisberg), Hungary, Rupertinum Museum
of Modern Art (Salzburg-Austria), National Museum of Abruzzo (L’Aquilla, Italy)
2001:
“Unfolding Perspective ARS 01”, Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2001:
Osaka Triennale, Osaka, Japan
2001:
Zwischen Tradition und Moderne: Junge Kunstler aus Indonesien, Museum for Anthropology, City of Cologne and Dahlem Museum Berlin, Germany
2001:
“Awas! Recent Art from Indonesia”, Amsterdam W139, Pruess Ochs Gallery,
Berlin and Ludwig Forum for International Art, Aachen, Germany
2000:
“7th Bienalle of Havana”, Havana, Cuba
2000:
Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Marne la-Vallee – Fermee du Buisson, Paris, France
2000:
“Invisible Boundary: Metamorphosed Asian Art, Travelling Exhibition of Kwangju
Bienalle 2000”, Niigata & Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Japan
2000:
“Impakt Festival, Media Art” Utrecht, the Netherlands
2000:
“3rd Gwangju Bienalle”, South Korea
1999:
“Undabdie Post Experimental Art”, Actions Galerie & Asian Fine Arts Factory, Berlin
1999:
“First Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale”, Fukuoka-Japan
1997:
“Two Wonders”, Mikhail Abakumov and Krisna Murti, Embassy Hall, Moscow

Artist Talk/ Art Presentation
2001:
“3 Artists”, Havana Biennale, Che Guevara Hall, Casa America, Havana, Cuba
2002:
“10 Works of Krisna Murti 1993-2002”, Complejo Cultural “San Fransisco”,
Caceres-Spain, organized by Asosiacion Cultural Arte Abierto and sponsored by
Diputacion de Caceres
2003:
“10 Works of Krisna Murti 1993-2002” at Institute of Modern Art IMA and
Queensland Art College (Brisbane); Griffith University, Brisbane; Charles Darwin
University, Darwin; and James Cook University, Townsville (Australia)
2004:
Art Forum and Visiting Lecturer: “New Media Art in Indonesia” at University of
Tasmania, Hobart and Launceston, Monash University, Melbourne and
24HRART Contemporary Art, Darwin, Australia

Public Collections
Hakataza, Kabuki Theatre, Fukuoka City, Japan
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan
Art Council of Singapore/ Singapore Art Museum

Bibliography
“Apresiasi Seni Media Baru” (The Apreciation of New Media Arts), Direktorat Kesenian RI, Jakarta, 2006
“Media Baru, Kultur Gerilya hingga Seni Gadget” (The New Media, from Guerilla Culture to Gadget Art), Jakarta Biennale Catalogue, Jakarta Art Council, 2006
“Caring for Mickey, Collage Works of Krisna Murti”, exhibition catalogue, Bandung, 2001
“Video Publik”, Krisna Murti, Kanisius Publisher, Yogyakarta, 1999
“My Ancestors are Sangiran Man”, exhibition catalogue, Krisna Murti, Bandung, 1997
Writing media arts articles for Kompas newspaper, Visual Arts and Art Asia Pasific magazine

Meet Dini

Nurhayati Sri Hardini – famous as Nh. Dini – is one of Indonesia women writers who are extremely productive. She started writing since 1951 when she was a student of junior school. Penduharka was her first short story published at Kisah magazine and it got good attention from literature critic H.B. Jassin who was called as Paus Sastra Indonesia or Indonesia Literature Pope.

Nh. Dini was a Garuda Indonesia Airways’ stewardese and married with Yves Coffin, a France diplomat. They had a couple kids, Marie Claire Lintang dan Pierre Louis Padang.

After more than twenty years going abroad, among them she was staying at Japan, Cambodia, the Philipines, United States of America, the Netherlands, and France, then she at 1980 moved back to Indonesia.

Dini then built Pondok Baca Nh. Dini, a reading house. This is especially for children and it is developed well and has many branches so far.

She had written more than thirty books of novel, short stories, noveletes, and others. Among of her books the Memories Series were very popular and admired by her readers. But Nh. Dini was first known as a leading writer by La Barka (1975) and Pada Sebuah Kapal (1985). Dini also translated Albert Camus’ La Peste (1985) and Jules Verne’s Vingt Mille Lieues sous le Mers (2004) into Indonesian.

This writer gets many awards from the Indonesia government and abroad. And also she was invited to deliver her works at several countries such as Canada, South Korea, the Philipines, Thailand, and also at France where she spent a part of her life with her family.

And now Nh. Dini is pleased to see her readers at Rumah Seni Yaitu, Sunday, March 2nd, at 6:30 pm. The writer was born at Semarang in a small kampoong called Sekayu. Nh. Dini is also going to talk about her latest book titled “Argenteuil, Hidup Memisahkan Diri”.

Discussion:

Sunday, March 2-2008 at 6:30 pm

Audiences are welcome with no admission.