 |
||
|---|---|---|
| CP Foundation | About CP Biennale | 2003 | 2005 | Contact Us | >||
         
THE CHANGE INTERPRETED | HISTORY | LOCALNESSHENDRAWAN RIYANTO > BIO | FEATURED WORK
|
||
|
The piece with the title Hatibatu...hatibatu...hatibatu... (...stoneheart...)(2003) deals with the issue of the violence occurring in contemporary society. He approaches this problem primarily from the mass media that tends to exaggerate and blow the issue of violence entirely out of proportion in such a way that both the frequency and the intensity of the reports on violence result in the public viewing it as something 'ordinary’. Through his work, Hendrawan seems to be in the midst of questioning and rethinking, or even criticizing the human condition with its various faiths and beliefs that provide a platform for contemporary civilization. Modernity, even though it promise progress, also takes victims. The main victims are the human compassion and concern that are the essence of humanitarianism. So what is the significance of the progress promised by modernity? On this point Hendrawan has once again gone far within himself into deeply personal territory to seek answers for the perennial questions concerning humankind, whether these be horizontal or vertical issues within human society. For the same reason, Hendrawan has also taken another look at tradition, in particular at the value of harmony which is believed to contain its own essence of wisdom, in order to come face to face with the points of view held sacrosanct by modern rational society. Hendrawan builds his works by taking the form of the tombstone as a symbol of death. He enlarges the form of the tombstones he depicts in order to provide them with a monumental quality. On the tombstones he creates, Hendrawan hangs images of segments of mutilated bodies, such as heads, hands, and feet, on the tombstone. He also places images of dismembered wings in front of the tombstone. The wings remind us of the images of sacred or holy creatures like those so frequently depicted in myths, which have been brought down by mankind. In the center of the tombstone the artist places a stone that seems to be jammed into an open wound in the tombstone. The impression of death is intensified by the depiction of dried blood on the face of the tombstone. There is a strong sense of tragedy here. Death and destruction, which appear to compose a tragedy upon initial examination of the concepts behind this piece, through the process of creative thinking can be viewed imaginatively as a sacred rite, like the rite of purification found so frequently among primitive traditional peoples. The basic philosophy of early societies perceives destruction as the initiation of resurrection or rebirth. Hendrawan perceives the creative process as not only a matter of dealing with the problem of material objects, but also as a spiritual process that is experienced as a rite within the pure and basic sense of this word. Bambang Subarnas Born on January 15, 1959. SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS |
||
|
CP Foundation | About CP Biennale | 2003 | 2005 | Contact Us
Jl. Suryopranoto 67A, Jakarta 10160, Indonesia. ph. +62.21.3448126, 3853206 | fax. +62.21.3853203, 3853208 info@cp-foundation.org |
||
Hendrawan Riyanto’s works are a product of a fairly complex process, touching on the academic and rational on one side, and drawing from the mythical outlook and values of a traditional society on the other. Both of these viewpoints occur simultaneously in a dialectical manner, sometimes even colliding within the creative process, from the beginning of the exploration of an idea or concept, through the choice of media and the process of production to the final stance on the artistic practice being experienced.