Skin turns out to be something we cannot regard in simple ways. Skin, which may appear simple and normal on the surface, does have deep and rich meanings behind it. Mella Jaarsma, a Dutch-born artist who has been living in Java since 1984, may be one of the few artists who dwell on the theme of the skin with all its dimensions. The metaphoric plays using the idioms and medium of the skin become increasingly strong in her works of the last few years.

Mella regards the skin as a wardrobe and an image. It also serves as an identity and signifier for every human being from any nation, age group, race, gender, civilization, or culture. In this sense, Mella widens the interpretation of skin not only as the matter that adheres on the surface of our body, but also as apparel or clothing that confines a human being, serving as his or her second skin. The apparel as the second skin plays an important role in the formations of identity and culture, and in other intricate matters relating to humans and their environment.

In this biennale, Mella displays two of her works that resemble a tent and a jilbab--the headgear used by many Moslem women, covering their hair and ears. The works serve as a continuation from her previous works that have also been closely related with the theme of clothes as the second skin, seen in the context of various social and political problems. Mella has also used other media such as the pupae's cocoons; the hide of squirrels, kangaroos, frogs, or goats; buffalo hide adorned with knives; parts of buffalos' horns; and embroidered emblems. Mella chooses the various hides and matters as the media that fit her perspective on the problem at hand.

Why does she now compose matters in the forms of a tent and a jilbab-resembling veil? It is very interesting to follow Mella's current line of thoughts. The locality of the current problem apparently forms a strong background to her creative processes. The works also betray Mella's effort to take up the theme and present it in an accessible metaphorical language that can be easily understood by a wider public.

Mella's first work for this biennale resembles a tent complete with bathing equipments inside it. The audience can try to use it and do any kind of activity inside it. Through this work, Mella seems to want to talk about the militaristic culture that has been strongly present in the daily lives of many Indonesians. The other work, meanwhile, resembles a jilbab or a female veil, which for Mella symbolizes the widening communication gaps in a social system that increasingly puts women--with all their rights and duties--in the domestic realm. The works are a part of her efforts not to search for mere symbols to create a meaningful artwork, and instead seek phenomenological facts in the images that are able to speak for themselves. She represents here a reality enriched with her diverse cross-cultural experiences.

Kus Hendarto

Born on October 9, 1960 in Emmeloord, the Netherlands.
Studied at Fine Art Academy 'Minerva', Groningen, the Netherlands (1984); Jakarta Institute of The Arts (IKJ ), Jakarta (1984); Indonesia Institute of The Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta (1986).

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1998 "Temporary Space" , Sapporo, Japan.
2000 "I Eat You Eat Me", Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta.
2001 "I Eat You Eat Me", The Art Centre, Centre of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
2002 "Moral Pointers", Lontar Gallery, Jakarta.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1998 "Asia Print Adventure 1998", Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan.
1999 "Third Asia-Pacific Triennial", Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2000 "Snapshot", Contemporary Museum, Baltimore,USA.
2001 "ARS 01", KIASMA Museum, Helsinki, Finland.
2002 Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea; "OPEN 2002, 5th International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations", Venice Lido, Italy; "ev+a 2002", Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick, Ireland.

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