"Peace and harmony cannot be enjoyed within it. Thus is the great house of Indonesia. Thus is true of the leader, or the trialbal chieftain who cannot induce the members of that household or tribe - numbering in the millions - to be peaceful and just, and whatever else is needed. A small Armageddon will creep slowly upon us. In the area between black and white, there is no white. It becomes one with the black," Febri Antoni wrote in a letter to a kurator.

Concerning Manusia Karbit, a series of pieces he is exhibiting in this biennial, Febri explains: "Creating 'manusia karbit' (its meaning can be seen as 'made' man) out of ordinary people with no reason will never result in the creation of a good spirit, mental attidue or good morals". To Febri, human beings go through a 'natural process' that gives rise to the emergence of human beings with a good spirit and way of thinking. This kind of person, says Febri, will always have a strong personal foundation to stand on, and will also be able to influence others with this goodness.

Febri came from the island of Sumatra, a place very different from Yogyakarta, and seems to be very impressed with the issues of morality, life, and the process of living it. On the relationship between life and art, Febri has noted: "Art, to me, is a process. This process starts with ideas, concepts, thinking, and also the visual. Life is like that too. Therefore, art, zat its very essence, is a conceptual, emotion and cognitive process that is translated within the creation of a work of art ". Febri's perception of art can be seen most clearly in the drawing titled Kepompong Betina (Female Chrysalis) (2002). In this work, he depicts a female figure wrapping the stem of a flower, while a segment of her body is wrapped in a rose leaf. This work does indeed reflect the unity of concept, idiom and title. Or, for example, another work titled Fondasi Diri (Personal Foundation) (2002). which focuses on the idea of 'a good mentality'. In this piece, Febri depicts two male torsos presented without skin; what is visible is the layers of flesh forming the muscles of those two male torsos. Both figures are standing firmly upright on top of a rock. Only, whereas the first torso is depicted as being firmly rooted in the foundation it stands upon, upon further observation it becomes apparent that the second torso is actually hanging by a thread and is not firmly grounded on anything.

The concept and image of the chrysalis, with all its variations, can also still be seen in the current series of works "Manusia Karbit". This is also true of the images of blossoms and insects. In this way, it becomes easy to catch the message that Febri wishes to express in this series.

Maman Gantra

Born on February 5, 1975 in Bukit Tinggi.
Studied at Indonesia Institute of The Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta (1995).

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1998 Phillip Morris Indonesia Art Awards, National Gallery, Jakarta; Yogyakarta Arts Festival X, Vredeburg Fortress Museum, Yogyakarta.
1999 Yogyakarta Arts Festival XI, Vredeburg Fortress Museum, Yogyakarta; "Festival of Abstract Art", Java Gallery, Jakarta.
2000 Young Artists, Purna Budaya Art Centre, Yogyakarta; "Indonesia Expressions", Sobin Gallery, Singapore.
2001 "The Bias of Line", Edwin Gallery, Jakarta; Group Exhibition of the SAKATO, Purna Budaya Art Centre, Yogyakarta.
2002 Nokia Asia Pacific Art Awards 2002, Archive Building, Jakarta; Indofood Art Awards, National Museum, Jakarta.
2003 "Mosaic of Contemporary Indonesian Fine Art", Vanessa Art House, Jakarta.

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