SANGGAR SUWUNG AND DIVERSITY

It is clearly visible through his works Acil was critiquing phenomenon of political, economic and environmental which is currently happening in Indonesia. Just look at the slow discussion of draft of laws in People Consultative Assembly/House of People's Representative that must be impact on the pace of development, repeated cases of corruption, collusion, nepotism involved state officials, looting of natural wealth of Indonesia by foreign companies, etc..

‘MENEMBUS BATAS' (Beyond Limits) is chosen by nine artists of Sanggar Suwung Yogyakarta members as the theme of their collective exhibition in Bentara Budaya (Cultural Herald) Yogyakarta in July 13 to 19, 2011 ago. Those nine artists were Nurul Hayat (Acil), Budi 'Bodhonk' Prakoso, Yayat Lesmana, Alim Bakhtiar, Dhadang SB, Kemal 'Sipink' Suhada, M. Rachmat Muchtar, Uret Pariono and Mulato Suprayogi.

From the choice of the theme it can be seen that the mission of the exhibition would reaffirm consistency of Sanggar Suwung as a group of artists. Besides, of course this collective exhibition activity certainly brings a content of certain ideas and discourse slipped through works on display. Budi 'Bodhonk' Prakoso in an interview confirmed that the exhibition is intended to promote a communal entity of a studio. "Studio is not merely entity does not go along to date. On the contrary, Sanggar Suwung wants to prove one of the milestones achievement of cultural groups in a coordinating studio," said Budi 'Bodhonk'.

Budi 'Bodhonk' Prakoso-PEMBANGUNAN PENGHANCURAN
Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 200 cm, 2011

And then Bodhonk expects that in the next will come the new studios that have advanced view and be able to enliven the art treasures in the city of Yogyakarta and Indonesia. While in a narrower standpoint, it is expected to this exhibition will stimulates creativity of other Sanggar Suwung members that are inactive to art.

Apart from being a statement of the existence of the studio is maintained up to now, this exhibition is also intended as an act was born from the together analysis of the community situation in the context of arts and cultures.

Sanggar Suwung in a statement of press release assesses that currently there is not much art communities has a 'deep breath' when running up the motion of cultural works. Whereas studio is culture bags that has potential as 'areas of the culture encounter' in which various kinds of individuals come from variety of backgrounds can learn and work from each other. Even studio also was not just a school room, a performances stage, or a workshop. Inside the coordinating studio among individuals can learn from each other to foster brotherhood, working through shared values and uphold the principle of pluralism.

Mulato Suprayogi-RAJA KAYA
Mixed media, variable dimension, 2011

The exhibition was attended by about a hundred and fifty art publics  in Yogyakarta was opened by the former head of Yogyakarta Cultural Park, Dian Anggraeni Rais. The opening is also enlivened by the stage action of Santy Saned, Keroncong Revolusi, Kelompok Kinnara, Kepal SPI, Etnik Satoe, etc.. In an opening speech, Dian Anggraeni confirmed the exhibition event of 'Menembus Batas' is expected to increases productivity and proficiency Sanggar Suwung's artists to work. "Hopefully in the next Sanggar Suwung will become a gathering place for artists to discuss ideas which oppose the ages," said Dyan.
Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta showroom which not so big enough is met by about twenty-seven works by explores the works of two and three dimensions. Especially for three-dimensional works respectively presented by Nurul Hayat (Acil) and Mulato Suprayogi.

Acil created three-dimensional works by using newsprint as the media. It is interesting to note the issues that are served through the works of this newsprint. Please to look at the work titled 'wewewe. kurakuratidaktahu. ko. it' with the figure of a turtle which is actually the most sluggish animal turned to left with the tortoise shell dome-shaped of the MPR/DPR building, or work titled 'Membabi Buta' (In Haphazard Manner) which describes the figure of a 'soldier' pig-faced complete with his uniform, holding a barrel of rifle with a vacuum cleaner as it muzzle and on his back attached an object shaped of the fuel tank.

Nurul 'Acil' Hayat
MEMBABI BUTA, 2011

There's another work titled 'Peringkat' by figure a creature with a mouth full of chunks of 'food'. The bay windowed creature was sitting on a pile of old newspapers. And what's interesting is that the old newspapers stacked off hand against the showroom wall with different heights so that the visitors managed to be outwitted because at a glance looks like a mere pile of trash newspaper.

It's clearly visible through his works Acil was critiquing phenomenon of political, economic and environmental which is currently happening in Indonesia. Please to look at the slow discussion of laws draft in the MPR / DPR would definitely impact on the pace of development, repeated cases of corruption, collusion, nepotism involved state officials, looting of natural wealth of Indonesia by foreign companies, etc..

"The newsprints media gives the possibility to explore ideas that are not accommodated by the two-dimensional works. Naughty imaginations can be fully realized," Acil explained when asked the background of his creative thinking.

Nurul 'Acil' Hayat
WEWEWE.KURAKURATIDAKTAHU.KO.IT, 2011

Why is newsprint? Acil explained that newspaper is symbol of urban life. Information era is now automatically puts newspaper as a vehicle for urban human existence. In the development of his creative process, Acil found the fact that dialectical of modern life at one time puts 'text' as forming of 'context'. In a sense, the text represented by the sheets of newspaper eventually transforms as determiner of values of human identity regarding their beauty, handsomeness, selfregard, existence of self, lifestyle, civilization, etc.. As for his two dimensions works Acil also processed newsprints glued on surface of canvas to be artistic production of collage painting technique.

Nurul 'Acil' Hayat-PERINGKAT, 2010

There is a little about Sanggar Suwung, this group stems from the Kelompok Pendopo (Audiences Hall Group) led by art students of Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa Yogyakarta University since 1988. It is initially based in Wirogunan MG. II No. 79-B, Tamansiswa Street, Yogyakarta. Then it moved into a contracted house located in Tamansiswa Surokarsan St. MG II No. 566 in 1992. In that new place they changed its name to Sanggar Suwung until today.

As to the name of Sanggar Suwung was chosen because it corresponds to their new house conditions that previously had been long in a state of empty (unoccupied) and seems to be haunted. However, within the framework of the philosophy, the term 'suwung' itself is taken from the conception of Javanese thinking which has the meaning 'unoccupied'. Javanese familiar with the term 'suwung iku sajatining isi' that means in the emptiness there has within it contents, for in the emptiness there is going on penciptaan energy creation process.

In the conception of the Hindu society, emptiness is often to be commensurate with zero, but zero here can not be equated with nothing. Zero is spherical, circular, an overall. An overall zero could mean an empty space that can not be measured it beginning and end of. It had no starting point, nor an end particle. An overall zero is a cycle, as taught by Bhagawadgitha: the end of death is birth, the end of birth is death.

Yayat Lesmana-UNDER WATER
Oil on canvas, 150 x 110 cm, 2011

Later, members of the Sanggar Suwung come from various cultures and artistic disciplines such as music, literature, theater, fine art and other performing arts, academics as well as non-academics. They are known to be highly productive and held many artistic activities, including collaboration with some great artists such as Sawung Jabo and Kantata Takwa.

July, 2011
DEDI YUNIARTO