LIBERATING MEDIUM AND PHILOSOPHY

Tempo Newspaper, Monday, July 18, 2011, p. B4

Sanggar Suwung's artists use different materials and styles.

THE FIGURE of a turtle was sitting right in front of the entrance to the building of Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta. With its left hand hold a glass of drink, it sat about by leaning against to it carapace. Its right leg is lifted, crossed, superimposed on its left leg. Its style is elegant with a tie around its neck.

With the whole surface covered by newsprints, at first glance there is no different with paper sculpture titled 'wewewe. kurakuratidaktahu. ko.it’ the work of the Nurul Hayat artist. But its shape looks like the roof of Parliament building in Senayan, Jakarta.

Together with tens of works of eight Sanggar Suwung's artists, Nurul's work is on displayed in an exhibition titled 'Menembus Batas' (Beyond Limits) in Bentara Budadya Yogyakarta in July 13 to 19, 2011. Those are Alim Bakhtiar, Budi Prakoso, Dhadang SB, Mulato Suprayogi, M. Rahmat Mohtar, Sigit Kemal Syuhada, Uret Pariono and Yayat Lesmana.

According to Nurul, his work is an expression of criticism to the behavior of Council members who ignored the people's aspirations. The title of the work is a pun. "Jogja is famous with its pun, isn't it?" said the man was born in Tasikmalaya in 1972.

Nurul 'Acil' Hayat-WEWEWE.KURAKURATIDAKTAHU.KO.IT

Nurul also displays paintings that also use old newspaper material. The painting titled 'Where Am I', for example, describes the human figure stampede to ride over one another, to nudge and pull each other. Acil pasted a cut of newspaper's title sentences to form a variety of sentences. Use of newsprint material is more practical to him. "Simply provides with glue," he said.

Nurul 'Acil' Hayat-WHERE AM I, Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 150 cm, 2010

According to a spokesman for the Sanggar Suwung group, Alim Bakhtiar, members of this group is range from students to street kids. The works on display are also infinite, it might be two dimensional or three dimensional. "There is no particular ism," said Alim. Budi Prakoso's work titled 'Pembangunan Penghancuran' (Development of Asunder), for instance, a human figure with a tower-shaped head. While the work of Dhadang SB titled 'Ritual Tolol' (Stupid Ritual) is a white streak forming a  dragon.

In the exhibition, Alim puts forward a painting titled 'Menembus Waktu' (Through Time). He paints a crowd of people who are running and trying to precede each other. Alim paints it figures with yellow, red and nutbrown. He added that the curve of cold-drawn straight lines is an image of figure ran back very fast. Menembus Waktu, said he, is the symbol of human struggle against age. "More older an age, more physically weak man," he said. (Nanang Zakaria)