Sculptures by Dolorosa Sinaga
At Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art,
Jl. Drupadi No. 88B, Basangkasa, Seminyak.
Tel: 736628
Small traditional bronze figurine sculpture is so rarely exhibited in Indonesian Art Galleries that one must agree with American artist Ad Reinhardt’s flippant comment, that ‘sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting’. So, the Kendra Gallery of Contemporary Art must be congratulated for mounting the Dolorosa Sinaga solo exhibition.
Dolorosa is essentially a ‘modeler’ rather than a ‘cutter’ as her figurines are at first molded in clay, and are then cast in bronze. Her sculpture is naturalistic, based for the most part, on a close observation of the human figure. Her sculpture can be divided into two styles: ‘static’ momentary gesture paying homage to Auguste Rodin who conveyed emotion through the sculpture’s surfaces and the strained poses and gesture of his figures, and, the other, a dynamic depiction of movement in which motion is depicted as various partially modeled forms. These works are similar in feel to Futurist sculptor Umberto Boccioni, who broke the rigid contours of the human figure to create the continuity of moving human forms in space. Boccioni spoke of “pure plastic rhythms” which were not the construction of bodies, but the “construction of the action of bodies”.
The exploration of the motion of dancers in this exhibition relates to the search for form that engaged Dolorosa in the 1990s, upon returning from advanced sculpture studies at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. At St. Martin’s, she gained an experience utterly different from the art making processes she had known back in Indonesia, when she studied sculpture at the Jakarta Art Institute. In her course, she addressed herself to a very prolonged period of study, which dissected the structure and anatomy of the human body using paper, corrugated paper, and cardboard.
“With paper we grappled with the pose of the figure, investigating and analyzing every detail of movement, from the outside in, from the inside out. We had to know how the positions of the muscles of certain parts of the body changed when they made a certain motion. This method of working emphasized four keys to the basic order of work. First, investigation, then analysis, after that, interpretation, and finally, discovering a form of representation through the medium of paper”.
Certainly, this led Dolorosa to a heightened sensitivity to the anatomy of the body. She was also inspired by the plastic sheets she uses to cover her clay models to maintain their moisture, to ensure the clay model in progress does not dry out too quickly. Her response to this material moved her to make shapes with the plastic sheets, which had the power of depicting the folds and flow of drapery, producing effects based on the texture of the plastic that were different in character from that of the clay. The gentle flow of the layers of plastic sheeting produces intimate and entrancing folds and textures which are used to create the dancing figures, such as in the pieces ‘Balinese Dancer I’, ‘Dancer I & II’ and ‘Moonlight Dance’.
Even though these works do not have realistic forms, we can see lithe and energetic figures of dancing women in them. Dolorosa manages to capture an illusion and expression of the motion of the dancers in the sculptures, and even though the rubbery shapes have none of the attributes of Balinese dance costumes, the visual signs are there, including the gestures, the glances, and the movement of the bodies. These signs are enough to drawn us to the conclusion that they are Balinese dancers.
After Dolorosa’s long and rigorous studies at St. Martin’s she finally returned to Indonesia, and became active in various social and cultural organizations which documented the reality of women in a society that still harbors many issues. This made Dolorosa unable to shut her eyes and ears, her consciousness was touched, and she molded that into her clay. Using the clay, Dolorosa pressed, massaged, and squeezed, and eventually gave birth to figures representing the body language and gestures of Indonesian women, which powerfully display the meaning of gender inequality. In the work entitled ‘Sia-Sia’ there is a tangible gap between the two male and female people depicted. The man appears inept, with head bowed, hand steadied by holding onto the chair. Meanwhile, the woman is holding a flower, her body tilted to the side. This work sends the message that woman is no frail creature. She has power, and she has attitude. Also, in the work ‘Stand up for your Rights’, Dolorosa sends another powerful message concerning all women’s ability to influence, and perhaps stop, the effects of war, aggression, and universal female repression. These works clearly show Dolorosa’s commitment to important political female matters.
The works by Dolorosa Sinaga in this exhibition convey a deep appreciation of the power of shape, and we are able to sense the energy and movement of lively and rebellious female bodies joyfully dancing. Further, her sculptures convey a deep understanding of love, compassion and peace. Their gestures and attitudes are full of dramatic tension. They are noble but troubled, nervous, and anxious creatures. Her works have the capacity to touch our sensibilities and the threshold of our unconscious, to build perceptions and understandings through the power of her figurative shapes. This exhibition is highly recommended.
