As we watch Handiwirman at work, we might be forced into thinking that artistic works are merely about "trivial things"--tinkering with materials and means of visualizations. But what Handiwirman thinks as a focus on the small matters actually betrays his attitude about the "grand things" in the art discourse. Usually artists think of themselves as creators of meanings. The visualization aspect of their work becomes a part of the execution, and the choice of the media is based on the media's suitability and fitness in representing the artists' ideas. This is especially become important when the ideas are thought to be something closely related with the day-to-day reality of the public.

Historically, Handiwirman's attitude is born out of the craft discourse--the territory where an artist's close relationship with materials is acknowledged. In the beginning, craft provides a refuge for artists who are unconcerned with the ambition to widen the understanding about media. Matters on artistic media as a means to express ideas become a major topic in the discourses on fine art. The two different directions meet when artistic activities no longer rely on the artistic media. Handiwirman's attitude, as an artist, that does not constrain himself with only one particular material, shows that the adage saying that craft is identical with "mono-materialism" is not always true.

Our understanding about the functions, the means of productions, and the different contexts in the traditional and industrial societies, has formed the logical relations in our mind between things and materials. Artists generally take advantage of this understanding to create visual texts by way of associations. Handiwirman's experience with materials provides him with unusual outlook on things and materials. He sees the largely overlooked potentials in the relationship between the two matters. Handiwirman's creative process usually begins with arranging, composing, reducing, and adding things and matters. He focuses on the details and the nature of the material, searching eternally for some irrational combinations between his objects and his chosen materials.

Handiwirman's works gain its value from our personal experiences in visually recognizing and perceiving the world of things and materials. In a visual culture, these experiences are the base on which we make our appropriation to things, giving them meanings. Handiwirman cuts free these meanings from things and materials. In his works, the conventional meanings of the objects and the objects themselves are not inter-related. In his works, Handiwirman uses a lot of spoons, hair, eggs, pieces of clothes, wires, threads, wood, plastics, and fiberglass, presenting them in some absurd relations. Amidst the abundance of objects today, Handiwirman's works obscure the various meanings usually appropriated to them. Therefore, the subtle things we do not usually perceive when interacting with these objects--such as the quality of roughness and smoothness, the flexibility and the rigidity of the objects, or their softness and hardness--are strongly present in Handiwirman's works. The works force us to see that things and materials actually exist on their own. The urge to rationalize things has made us build the taxonomy on things and materials around us. Handiwirman's works are reconsidering it, thruthfully.

Nurdian Ichsan

Born on January 24, 1975 in Bukittinggi.
Studied at Indonesia Institute of The Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1999 Benda Art Space, Yogyakarta.
2000 "Provocation Object", Lontar Gallery, Jakarta.
2001 "Broken Heart", Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1998 Philip Morris Indonesia Art Award, Jakarta; ASEAN Art Award, Hanoi, Vietnam.
2001 "Not I. Am I?", Nadi Gallery, Jakarta; "Not Just The Political", H. Widayat Museum, Mungkid, Magelang.
2002 "Ecstaticus Mundi", Group Exhibition of the JENDELA, Selasar Sunaryo, Bandung and AIR Art House, Jakarta; "Dream Project : "Under Construction" (Local Show)", Fabriek Gallery, Bandung.
2003 "READ", Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta;Borobudur International Festival, H. Widayat Museum, Mungkid, Magelang.

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