JANEFO is a series of LAF’s biannual exhibition. It is an acronym for Jogja New Emerging Forces, and also wordplay from GANEFO (The Games of the New Emerging Forces), which was founded by Ir. Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president who happened to be an art lover. Basically, JANEFO is group show of young artists (by age) presenting new challenging ideas. As a part of the approach used to create this exhibition, we intend to also challenge the audience of the show in regards to the definition or art, visual art, in its contemporary practice.
Andrew Lumban Gaol
REST IN PEACE (2012)
Documentation and website
Andrew Lumban Gaol (b. 1986) engages with the street under the moniker Anti-Tank Project. His long-term project is called “Resist Amnesia Movement”; a simple poster representing the figure of Munir who remind the public with a number of human tragedies tha happened in our surrounding and are simply ignored (by the government) to be eventually forgotten (by society). Other than affixing the posters on the street by himself, Andrew also uploaded them in his blog so that everyone can download, print and put them anywhere. Not only that these posters are printed, copied, and displayed everywhere (including outside Java) some stakleholders also reproduced this image into t-shirt merchandise and even book cover illustration. For Andrew, it is more important to have his message spread out, so in some level, the commercialization of his work is the another achievement of his campaign ‘against amnesia”. During the current project Andrew also actively works on the streets as responds to the latest sociopolitical issues, such as Lapindo Mud Flood, Bibit & Chandra Case, etc.
In REST IN PEACE (2012), Andrew wants to express a simple thing: The public mail boxes are no longer useful. This idea came up after he observed how the mail-box located in many points in Yogyakarta looks more like tombstones in a cemetery ever since it looses its function. The role of mailbox and inter-personal mail delivery service have ceased to exist as the sentimental functions are increasingly replaced by mobile phones. This is partly attributed to the highly increasing interaction between people mediated by handphone and the low-cost technology of short message services. Even some times when we saw a couple sitting in one table in a cafe, it does not necessarily mean that there is direct interaction between them. We often found them preoccupied by (and busy typing messages on) their own handphones. We can also see how some people typing away on their handphone while riding a motorcycle.
Ishari Sahida ‘Ari Wulu’
OUT OF THE BOX (2012)
Sound installation
Ishari Sahida ‘Ari Wulu’ (b. 1979) is a musician, founder of Soundboutige, one of the longest-running electronic music community in Yogyakarta, and also inheritor of Yogyakarta Gamelan Music Festival initiated by his late father Sapto Rahardjo. In late 1990s, during the golden age of performance as the channel of youth artistic expression in Yogyakarta, he was actively involved in Performance Fucktory (in collaboration with Jompet Kuswidananto, Moh. Marzuki, Ugoran Prasad, and Yossi Herman Susilo).
Through OUT OF THE BOX (2012) Ari Wulu offers a sound-based imaginary adventure. He thinks that visual narratives could restrict one’s imagination. For him, visual matters had been long enough ‘numbing down’ the sensibilities of imagination that are based on auditory sensors, while on daily basis our sense of hearing is more alert than the eyes. It is the sound of car horn that would stop us from crossing the street, not the flashing car beam; it is the phone-ring that stops us from talking, and not the flickering light on its display screen; etc. For example, an image of a fly perching on top of some food, with ‘traces’ of its previous flight. It will suggests us with things as such related to the fly and the food. Unlike what happens if we close our eyes, we can hear the sound of the fly (let say the same one); we can imagine where the fly is, from where it came from, at which point it alighted, and which direction it would go. Ari Wulu believes that the ears (hearing sense) is a more inspiring and inclusive source of imagination than the eyes (seeing sense).
Harwan ‘Achong’ Panuju
FLOATER (2012)
Video installation & website
Harwan ‘Achong’ Panuju (b. 1976) is a video-maker who beleives that Youtube marks the end of television era. In the past three years, Achong has been producing a series of moving which is aired through his Youtube chanell on regular basis, like television programs. His debut project, Toni Blank Show, has been broadcasted in the past couple of years and had been watched by 600,000 people (based on Youtube hit counter only, excluding the number of download and possible viewing with others offline). Toni Blank Show is aired in Facebook (as well as Youtube) every Tuesday, 8 PM. Other regular shows that he produced (and broadcasted in Youtube channel under the account name Aconk11) include Sunday on 7 (every Sunday, 7 PM), Romantic Night (every Saturday, 8PM), and Lingsir Wengi (every Thursday, 11 PM).
FLOATER (2012) is prompted by Achong’s prediction that in less than 10 years, that internet will be an essential need for everyone, regardless of class, just like how GSM/CDMA signals are needed in today’s situations. Everyone will type in their serach engines anytime they need all kinds of information; thus no one will ever need to go back to the traffic light just to find out informations in the placards there, like advertisement of ‘Toilet Cleaning’ or ‘Instant Investment Opportunities’. Achong offers the latest platform through a medium that he knows best (and believes in), online video. Aside from making the advertisement video, Achong also runs a website which enable users to upload their advertisement video (or any kind of commercials) under certain categories that he made to searching purposes.
TheDeoMixBlood
THE MAGIC PAPER PROJECT (2012)
Archival materials & installation
Formed in 2009, TheDeoMixBlood comprises of two visual artists R. Bonar Diat S. P. ‘Otong’ (b. 1980) and Fahla F. Lotan ‘Dilla’ (b. 1990). TheDeoMixBlood’s passion in exploring toys hones their concerns to the teenagers (which is an ideal age group for playing) of today. School intermissions or after school hours that were usually used as a time to play together isare now dominated by mobile phones and gadgetries with the many sophistications that come along. Even to ask one’s friend to buy food at the cafetaria, a teenager would prefer sending text message instead of talking to his/her friend in person. The decline of physical togetherness becomes an entry point for TheDeoMixBlood’s current exploration.
TheDeoMixBlood come up with installations of paper-based toys and metal coins so that the school-kids can play with them together. The paper-based trick is it hides images that can be seen after rubbed down with the coin. This toy is actually still sold by vendors located at the school yards. The so-called Magic Book, usually contains images of popular cartoon or comic characters. THE MAGIC PAPER PROJECT (2012) visited schools and offered the students an adventure of memory. The images hidden inside the toys are things ‘of the past’, such as the private pay-phone booth, public phone, alarm radio, satellite, gramophon, etc.
Pamityang2an
CONTROL ROOM (2012)
Installation
In 2010, Pamityang2an initiated the first QWERTY radio globally. Membered by nine individuals from various professional backgrounds, Pamityang2an is broadcasting through Twitter account @pamityang2an for general users. Everyone can listen to it at all times and anywhere, throgh internet-based gadgets. In less than three months, the QWERTY radio created a hype in the cyberworld. With its prominent slogan “Karena galau adalah harapan” (Since restlessness is hope) the radio is demanded to ‘develop’ itself into other forms by its community of listeners. In a bazaar, Pamityang2an once opened a beer booth with sexy servers for the male customers while wating their girlfriends shopping.
This time, Pamityang2an offers a ‘chamber of reflection’. Pamityang2an sees that the latest symptom of desire to travel to the furthest distant (of oneself and one’s surroundings). Enabled by technology, even space travel becomes a popular package for sale. On the other hand, others who are physically close to us are often forgotten. In its most inexpensive and simple, mobile devices also facilitate connections to the furthest point possible. The farther a journey is, the opportunity to take an inward travel. Through the Control Room (2012), Pamityang2an intends to force the public to become more reflective. CONTROL ROOM (2012) ‘traps’ any person who enters and offers a quiet time alone.
Indieguerillas
KANOMAN (2012)
Website
Founded in 1999, Indieguerillas are two visual artists Santi Ariestyowanti (b. 1977) and Miko ‘Otom’ Bawono (b. 1975). With graphic design background, the dynamic collaboration between the couple has been widely known for their exploration of Javanese folklores and contemporary urban culture. Indieguerillas’ work weave through popular traditional images and latest media, both as an instrument for image-production and the medium of presentation. Indieguerillas has held three solo exhibitions: “Fools’lore: Folklore Reload (2008)” at Biasa Artspace, Bali, Indonesia; “HAPPY VICTIMS (2010)” at VWFA, Singapore; and “Indie What? Indie Who? (2010)” at Garis Art Space, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Indieguerillas viewing to the social life online lead them to the understanding that avatar here is treated as serious as its etimologycal meaning- the embodiment of soul in physical form. Avatar (the profile photo online) with its less than 10 x 10 cm size is believed as representing the user’s personality. As a continuation of their stance in happy victim, Indieguerillas offers an alternative in self-representation: KANOMAN (2012), am avatar generator. “To contribute an option, for our mutual happines in exploring our ‘second life’ in the virtual world”, they said in their statement.
JANEFO #1
Jogja New Emerging Forces: The First Batch
@ Gallery 1, Langgeng Art Foundation, YogyakartaCURATED BY
Enin Supriyanto & Grace SambohOPENING CEREMONY
Tuesday, 31 January 2012, 19:30ARTISTS
Anti-Tank Project, Harwan ‘Achong’ Panuju, Indieguerillas, Ishari ‘Wulu’ Sahida , Pamityang2an, TheDeoMixBloodEXHIBITION DURATION
31 January – 14 March 2012
Open daily 11:00 AM – 07:00 PM
グレース・サンボー 