The two sculptures Ibrahim displays in this biennale originated from his intense understanding about the Javanese culture. Although he was born in the peripheral Surabaya, his "Javanese blood" appears strongly in his works. This is also strongly represented in these two particular works, Buddha Menari Jagad Raya (The Buddha Dances the Universe), and Jesus from Java. The first sculpture, Buddha Menari Jagad Raya, appears in a golden color and is visually teeming with symbols. The work arose from Ibrahim vast knowledge about the Javanese culture and its relations with other cultures, especially the Buddhism which had also given colors to it. The surface of this sculpture does not appear smooth all over, but is tattered, uneven, and full of blemishes. All these, however, find their end in the "order" of the surface, which in turn originates from the "disorder". The symbolic meaning is especially present at the part of the head, as in the big-sized ears that tend to be out of proportions. This symbolizes the "meditation of the flesh," one of the ascetic steps taken by Siddharta Gautama, the Buddha, in order to smoothen the way to the Nirvana, or Heaven.

This is exactly what Ibrahim calls the recognition of the existence of the universal in the human's body. The Javanese culture is similar to the Indian culture that was introduced to the island through Buddhism or Hinduism. The Javanese believe in the existence of the macrocosm and the microcosm, which in Javanese are called, respectively, the Jagad Gumelar and the Jagad Cilik. In this particular work, the Jagad Gumelar is symbolized by the circle on the soles of the feet. Therefore, Ibrahim insinuates here that for the Javanese, the Jagad Cilik plays the bigger role in the human's life, which results in the impression that the Javanese tend to be anthropocentric, or focus their attention more on the human being itself.

The second sculpture, Jesus from Java, can be seen as an effort to draw parallel lines between Jesus and the Javanese, and at the same time create a parody of sorts from this relation. Ibrahim visualizes Jesus with both of his palms upward. As we give a closer look to the sculpture, we will notice that the positions of the sculpture's fingers totally agree with the Javanese philosophical views that Ibrahim understands. Such views see the power center of the fingers as the equilibrium center of the human body and the earth, which supports the human existence. Generally, the work wants to say that Christian teachings have been present for a long time on the island of Java. Physically, Jesus was in Jerusalem, but the spirit similar to his teachings has long evolved in Java. Moreover, when the Javanese were then able to accept the teachings of Jesus, it showed exactly the capability of the Javanese to accommodate positive influences from the outside, while bringing them down to earth at the same time.

Kus Hendarto

Born on January 20, 1966 in Magelang.
Studied at Indonesia Institute of The Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta (BFA; 1984).

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1999 Yogyakarta Festival of Arts, Yogyakarta.
2000 Group Exhibition, Surabaya Arts Council.
2001 Yogyakarta Festival of Arts, Yogyakarta; Group Exhibition, October Gallery, Yogyakarta; Group Exhibition, National Museum, Jakarta.
2002 "Not Just Political", H. Widayat Museum, Mungkid, Magelang; "Re-Creation", H. Widayat Museum, Mungkid, Magelang; "Human 2002", Dirix Gallery, Yogyakarta; "Expression an Era", Bali Padma Art Centre, Kuta, Bali; "In Memoriam of Gampingan Satu", Gelaran Budaya Art Centre, Yogyakarta; Group Exhibition, Yogyakarta and South Sulawesi Artists, Sahid Kawanua, Manado, South Sulawesi; "Borobudur", H. Widayat Museum, Mungkid, Magelang.

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