Exhibitionist

Exhibitionist

14 February 2009
Kersan Art Studio
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From kersan for woman everywhere they are
By Ade Tanesia

“whay have to differ about woman and man.”

“probably discrimination issue towards woman only made by woman her self.”

or…”woman is to spoil to ask her right and always want to be special .”and so on ...

incredibly often I hear the comment like thus , mainly if woman want to do activity together . in reality, this world is inhabitant by people did know that woman problem is a problem . however seeing it as an ordinary that do not need to think event to debate . recently, I watched film entitled “Revolutionary Road”  told about husband and wife . the wife who wahat is wants to be an actress must be residing at home and full of activity with peeling a carrot . accourding to the husband ,her  desire is not important because he has given happiness by his own version that is buying a comfort house , buying good clothes and so on . the wife who is silent finally getting suicide. In the visual art world for instance ,woman recognized not to have a problem entering this field . visual art society regognizes that woman freedom has accommodated enough in this field. With that intention ,woman progress in art in Indonesia are not recoginizing as an urgent practice. “whay make the progress if we do not have a problem,” it is the buzz often heard .however,in the joking and gossip activity,people prefer to discuss about body of woman artist rather than exceptional works. Otherwise when a woman want to be an artist hardly thus she was blamed when ignoring her domestic affair .then her courge will see as an ambition as if it is taboo for woman possession . “although to be an artists, but don’t leave your responsible as a mother ,” said a cliché advice that often heard .I do not say that woman must leave the pleasure as a mother and doing domestic affair but as if it is familiar that domestic problem is woman responsibility. It is very rare to be heard than male artist said “although I am painting but I never leave my responsible to bath children , to map and so on.” The illustrasion above want to reveal that in reality it is not easy for woman to enter public space and to exspress her  idea also show her creativity. They may enter but if the cultural responsibility has finished formerly .I often work with the organizer of radio community that almost always dominated with man. Where is the woman of this community ? I often questioning it.in fact radios broadcast time that always taje at night become an obstacle for woman to be involved in it.in the villages ,it is not easy for woman to go out at night. This is considered as unproblematic and not thought as something when establishing a community media .finnaly woman can not involve totally and the consequence is their  significance has not spoken . then people questioning whether the importance or woman perspective must be resprsented y woman herself ? whether it cannot mean “other independence to represent woman importance?”

Let’s contemplate the illustrasion below :
“in turkana ethnic in north Kenya , if woman bear a baby boy thus big celebration go behind . the family slaughter four goats and bull . whereas if the baby girls born , the is no celebration an only a goat slaughtered.” If there is proverb human born are the same , in fact it is not as simple as it. Woman born by numerous socil roles attached according to the culture in each society. It means that there is woman perspective which is different and be come her own possession because of  her specific culture zone . this point of view cannot respresent by other. Only woman herself may reveal about her daily problem they face.

Back to visual art world , what has done by Kersan Art Studio by holding woman artist . exhibition is not merely reunion or to gathter and taking a work in this space loquaciously.aware or unware , this practiceis a political deed which want to reveal the woman importance in expressing her  idea through art medium .unconscious statement of those 23 women artist probably is not meaningful for art society and recognizing as merely exhibition among other exhibition in Jogjakarta. Nevertheless this exhibition will be meaningful and inspiring woman around kersan .coincidently , Kersan Art Studio space is liberated to the dweller around so that they come freely to witness while feeding their children in the afternoon. Moreover if the works displaying in the website how many people may access it. Once, a number of women agrre to hold group exhibition , then this agreement is a creative energy that may infected other woman undergoes minim access to reveal a problem and her persepective toward the phenomenon encountered. If we see this persepective to the neighborhood, the woman help us in the household has many problem attached.they try to solve the problem in silent and often they go and come back again . it needs a change ! Nadine Moawad , a Lebanese feminist activist say that an alteration may only happened if it communicate from heart to heart . this personal relationship may alter people to do something.

In my opinion , here it is the potential of art as one of the means to make a change . art is medium to communicate speak not only in mind but also between heart . for example in film The Story about Iran woman to have her right may give awareness for woman all over the world .in the works of “Exhibitionist” exhibition , Ambar’s painting about woman body may inspire other woman for questioning whether they have authority of herself . Juni  wulandari in the work entitle “Kehangantan Sarung Ayah” describes a couple husband and wife with many children , whether all of it throws to mother figure so that it cannot improve her own individuality ? Lashita work entitle “Me”may interpret as right of doing reproduction giving by nature for woman . the exsperince of giving a birth for woman made them understand and love an early life of human being . in this point we may widen the discussion about the contribution of perspective and women role in keeping this brittle world . Diah Yulianti’s work entitles “Soul of Eternity”arouse contemplation whether soul separate from the body thus woman can feel her real freedom ?
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Visual art work brings so many ne interpretations that not need exact with the message delivered by the creator . From a piece of work , may emerge abundant interpretation . often art work are inspiring for audience to have a dialog to themselves . and art works created by woman is meaningful and important to be a peak that reveals a million of silent woman’s voice all over the world from time to me . if half of world inhabitant is woman , what happened if their voice unheard ? we have undergone that were unbalance in various life side . it resulted poverty ,war mortality , and some painfulness  in human history . will we keep on silent ? Kersan Art Studio has started by revealing that works and woman idea is really priority in this art space .