An Installation by Hamad Khalaf and Iswanto Hartono
at Gaya Art Space, Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud. Tel: 979253.
Much of the best art of the last century belongs to a visual and literally debate about what art is, and where and how it should be displayed. The artists no longer confined themselves to a single genre such as painting or sculpture, or even an Art Gallery, and went further to fashion ‘environments’ in which stimuli and forces upon the viewer made them no longer a spectator but a participant. Happenings, Performance Art, and even Street Theatre are good examples. Similarly, artists have made Installations, making a context to emit a specifically created impression or atmosphere, and where the artworks are not displayed as individual objects but are seen sequentially as dictated by the artist. In their exhibition ‘Labyrinth’, artists Hamad Khalaf and Iswanto Hartono create a highly successful and quite superb Installation.
Hamad Khalaf was born in Kuwait. Following the Gulf War of 1991, he collected military equipment abandoned in the desert by the Iraqi army. As a Kuwaiti he had been in favor of the war which liberated his country, but, he was deeply moved when CNN TV broadcast footage showing a surrendering Iraqi soldier, crawling out of a bunker and kissing the boot of a U.S. Marine.
“The scene was so powerful, it drove me to create the series ‘Enemy Revisited’, consisting of painted helmets, boots, and gas-masks collected from the battlefields. Subverting the objects was my own, poetic, retaliation against Saddam Hussein who had put his troops in a position where they had to kiss the boot of their ‘Enemy’. I believe Religion, Propaganda and the Media are forms of Mythology. It is why I copy ancient Greek Amphorae paintings onto these found objects, as a metaphor to convey this message”.
As an artist born and living in Indonesia, Iswanto Hartono feels that things here are unstable, and politics, societies, and even cities, can change fast. He is interested in developing his art in the contexts of political, social and cultural evolutions. Global networking, and the influences it can have on his own culture and identity are of concern to Iswanto. Neo-colonialism and Neo-consumerism are also issues that appear in his work. “Recently, I have been working with mediums which are in common daily usage, such as neon light. Though neon light is not a new thing in art, I have found fascinating new things in it to convey messages concerning contemporary social and cultural issues. These issues of global political concerns have a great impact on my own culture and society, and they are always disturbing my mind”.
Hamad and Iswanto first met at Galeri Cemara, in Jakarta, during Hamad’s ‘Camouflage: Acts Of War’ exhibition. Recognizing a similar sensibility it was Iswanto who suggested a collaboration. From the start both artists have been firmly convinced of the success of their collaboration. They believe that by juxtaposing their work, something interesting will be created. In the ‘Labyrinth’ installation the mythical symbolism of Hamad’s intricately painted ‘fragments’ have been stripped away to reveal them as simple forms and shapes. Conversely, Iswanto assumes and directs the mythical nature of the installation. ‘Labyrinth’ presents the phenomena of war in enigmatic gestures that challenge our perceptions and preconceptions. Hamad’s signature has been found objects of war painted with imagery borrowed from Greek Mythology. Much of his art has a role ‘reversal’ at its heart, changing a symbol or object of violence, like a soldier’s boot or helmet, into an object of aesthetic appreciation. Objects are literally separated from their functional reality and are changed into Objet d’Art. Hamad perverts violence with decorative beauty to lay bare our fixation on war, while Iswanto depicts war in its global political links through spatial placement and symbol play.
In their collaboration, Hamad and Iswanto present a spatial juxtaposition of neon lights, objects and fragments. The placement of strip blue neon lights forms a framework, or even a journey, through a labyrinth which leads the visitor through an arrangement of artworks. Following the pathways of the ‘labyrinth’, the participant encounters Hamad’s superb renderings of Greek ‘fragments’. In works such as ‘Fragment Abstract’, ‘Birds of Ares’ and ‘Minotaur and Theseus Archaic Figures’ imagery from ancient Greek Amphorae paintings are recreated on an enormous scale. The size of the works removes any association with archaeology, and presents these appropriated images as a contemporary art form which is representative of mythological warfare, wherein the symbols and signs can be interpreted as the insignia and remnants of a possible successful invading futuristic army.
Meanwhile, Iswanto bathes the installation in an eerie blue light. This ‘magical’ light is open to various interpretations. It can be seen as the cold light found at twilight or dawn in a deserted war zone. Or, it can suggest the strange blue light associated with Christian mysticism. It can possibly allude to ghosts and spiritual presences emanating from the artworks themselves. However, it is also possible to ‘read’ the light in ‘Pop Art’ references, and regard it as stage lighting designed to enhance an elaborate War Movie set.
The installation ‘Labyrinth’ created by Hamad Khalaf and Iswanto Hartono, acts as a metaphor for spatial experience which represents mankind’s search for civilized cultural values within the culture of war. The installation is an outstanding success. The show is a ‘knockout’, and should not be missed!
