"Specialization" might be an alien concept for Ahadiat and Rini Chairin Joedawinata. Both of them have rich and colorful backgrounds. Ahadiat Joedawinata is an interior designer, but he is also actively involved in woodworks and ceramics. His wife, Rini, meanwhile, creates graphic arts, paints, builds installation works, and makes aesthetic elements and bamboo-works. Their similar interests in craft enable them to work comfortably together in collaborative projects.

Historically, specialization emerges because of the changes in the modern society. Rationality demands a cleanly delineated system, properly arranged and with clear hierarchies. Here specialization becomes necessary, as the modern society demands an orderly and measurable system. Such modernist thought breaks artistic skills into three different spheres: fine art, design, and craft. All three of them evolve and have their own conventions. In Indonesia as in many other countries, the divisions are institutionalized, especially through that most "sophisticated" of modern institutions: the education. But the practice differs from the theory, after all. The actors in the art world themselves apparently often go crossing the boundaries. Many artists design their works when they are creating murals, some aesthetic elements, or monuments. Designers often reduce the functionality and the production aspects of their work, putting more emphasis on the individual characters of the works. People involved in craft works, meanwhile, comfortably come in to, and out of, the territories of the art and design. Ahadiat and Rini are clear examples of such phenomena. Both of them are aware that the context of their final works eventually dictates the categorization.

Such perspective and attitude, added with their vast experience, enable them to move around across the boundaries, changing from one profession to the next. In this context, specialization does not necessarily need to be understood in terms of professions. Generally, art has its own logic and creative process. There are the ideas, and then there are functional considerations (in the wide sense), the communication aspects, the audience, and, eventually, the manifestations of the ideas.

The use of a medium or material can not be directly associated to be an work of art. A painting (visual imagery on the plane of a canvas) cannot be immediately categorized as a work of art, just as a container (an object with a hollow part and can be used to collect something) is not necessarily functional object. Hence, a ceramics object (clay materials burnt at minimal 6000C) can be classified as sculptures, or as tableware. Art practitioners, even in the educational institutions, have in fact largely ignored those kinds of rigid categorizations.

Ahadiat and Rini are clearly aware that what matters eventually are the result and the context of the final works. They take the advantage of their vast experience working with wood and bamboo as they create a visual impression of the nature. Their technical understandings are used to construct a structure with regards of the character of each material. The end target is a representational expression: How they convey a concept of rational boundary as well as the message of a transformation in the towering bamboo structure and wood, still by paying respects to the natural characters of the materials.

Nurdian Ichsan

AHADIAT JOEDAWINATA Born in Cirebon, January 31, 1943.
Studied at Bandung Institute of Technology (BFA; 1973).

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
1999 "Traditions and Representations", Wood Contemporary Craft, Edwin Gallery, Bali.
2001 Indonesia Contemporary Craft, National Gallery, Jakarta.
2002 Craft Exhibitions, Fabriek Gallery, Bandung.

RINI CHAIRIN HARYATI Born on March 11, 1948 in Tasikmalaya.
Studied at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung (BFA; 1973).

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2001 Bandung Gallery, Bandung, "About Women".

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1999 "Medium in Medium, Instalation as the Expression's Medium", National Gallery, Jakarta.
2000 "Refleksi", 18 seniman bandung, Edwin Gallery, Jakarta.

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