Present Encounters : Papers from the conference of the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1996

Enin Supriyanto Anything Goes Pop! As space is limited , I wi ll make no attempt to set out an analysis that is informed by a methodology that is theoretically watertight. What I will set out here are some notes on a number of issues that I hope will serve to elicit further discussion. Whatever the case, it remains that popular culture is a theme that is problematic, qu ite broad in scope and often attracti ng a plethora of analyses, informed by a wide range of theoretical frameworks. 1 This is so , apparently, i n the daily routine of the majority of people. It now seems that everything has gone pop. Pop and Class In h is book Pop Art, Ti lman Osterworld states that Pop Art is symptomatic of an 'entirely Western phenomenon , born under capita list, technological conditions in an industrial society'. 2 I n relation to Pop Art and popu lar culture, he also identifies America as 'its programme center' which in turn, has brought about the 'Americanization' of Western cu ltu re, in particular within the European community. With respect to the situation in I ndonesia, further d iscussion is needed on the range of social factors that have induced the emergence of pop culture. I n explaining the existence and certain socio-cultural aspects of 'pop culture' i n I ndonesia, the primary difficulty lies in determining a suitable sociological framework that allows us to ascertai n whether I ndonesian society has indeed attained the 'industrial society' phase of development, as Tilman Osterworld suggests. Furthermore , we also know that the birth of popular culture - according to a considerable number of analyses conducted by Western academics - is linked to the social position of the worki ng class, who are pressed to promote their own cultu ral values in the presence of the values of the dominant culture. If the process of 'Americanization' is seen as being identical to popular culture , then in the case of I ndonesia it will be seen that the bearers of this type of 'cultu re' come not from the working class, but from among the elite, frequently referred to as 'the new middle class' . However, the term 'middle class' is itself problematic, especia lly when it is used to explain the phenomenon of the existence of 'the new rich' in relation to the recent advances in economic development in l ndonesia. 3 Pop and Cultu ra l Resistance On the issue of structure, still other difficulties are encountered if the analyses of popu lar culture developed by numerous Western academics are applied to I ndonesian society. Since popular cultu re is often linked to class structure, popular culture is considered to possess elements of resistance , or even elements of opposition , to the more powerful dominant group. It is here that a number of analyses concerning the 'counter culture' originate. I n the setting of I ndonesia, it would be difficult to explain the presence within popular culture of any q ualities that are characteristic of the 'counter culture'. Popular culture, in its rather narrow sense of 'Ameri canization' as it is seen in city life in I ndonesia (especia l ly in Jakarta) , is in fact very 'receptive' to 'anything'. This h igh degree of receptiveness occurs for the simple reason that anything that has become popular is, in fact, merely a manifestation that reflects the nature of the process of consumption. 4 I n contrast, the existence of counter cu lture - i n my opinion - requires at least the presence of a culturally productive attitude, and at most the presence of activism . Clearly, counter culture is the act of processing and creating a number of new cultural expressions i n the hope that certain established cultura l expression can be expanded , o r perhaps even shaken up . It remains t o be seen whether popular culture can still have such value if that which appears to be 'popular' is, in reality, not so very d ifferent from that which is most consumable. During my fou r years as an art director at an advertising agency in Jakarta, it has been proven to me that the popularity of someth ing - brand, product, expression, symbol, or even certain specific values - springs from the combined strength of manufacturer (capital) , the power of advertising (marketing strategy) , and the mass media (mass communication channels) . 1 33