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

their commitment to exploration - in terms of formal aesthetic expression - enhanced the development of contemporary art in Indonesia, and also had a positive i mpact on sociocultural issues. Another important event to examine is a project by a group of young artists from Bandung and Yogyakarta : Jim Supangkat, Harsono, Hard i , Siti Adiaty and Gendut Rianto , who organised a number of exhibitions entitled 'Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru' ('New Art Movement') . This group showed their concern in the problems of visual expression. Since most of the members g raduated from the ITB and I ndonesian Art I nstitute in Yogyakarta , they shared the same experiences in facing problems in the art education system . Accord ing to one of the members, his student days of instruction were filled with restrictions. Students were hardly given a chance to be creative, instead they had to strictly fol l ow every rule of creation. I n their work i n this exhibition , this group strongly rejected all forms of established images of 'fine art' such as painting , scu lpture and printmaking ; they also rejected the domi nation of expression based on elitist concepts. They experimented using ordinary language expression that could be understood by ordinary people. I bel ieve each of these artists also wanted to share their concerns about social problems. The Current Social Condition Since the 1 980s, contemporary artists in I ndonesia have experienced a much more compl ex situation. People are confronted with social problems and social constraints that mental ly affect the i ndividual's life . The work of contemporary artists i n I ndonesia during this time shows more engagement with socially relevant issues. There is a growing consciousness in artists about the social conditions, and there is a strong urge to share this social experience i n their work. To express concern through visual expression , the artists believe that the language of painting, sculpture and printmaking are old fashioned. Therefore, the tendency toward alternative expression is considered . The execution of the work i nvolves exploration through media and other elements. Commitment to social problems encourages these artists to take an active part to portray their position in society. Several artists I know are committed to social activities and are involved i n social movements that they believe benefit the people. I n 1 985 in Jakarta, Harsono, Gendut Rianto and Moelyono showed work based on research into environmental problems. They worked closely as a team with professional researchers from different backg rounds, through which their exhibition was made possible. One of their concerns was the issue of methyl-mercury contamination of the water surrounding the bay area of Jakarta. To make people aware of the [potentially} fatal danger of this problem, they gave i nformation about the case of Minamata disease in Japan wh ich was caused by a similar environmental problem. Another important issue in this exhibition was land expropriation. The a rea of research was Tul ung Agung, East Java . A big factory was constructed in the middle of a paddy field and caused an irrigation problem. This exhibition provided research data and explanations and emphasised the importance of this issue to social conditions. This exhibition drew a great deal of attention from society. In terms of visual engagement, the work appears to have a specific character because its organ isation has left behind monolithic expression, but there is still a space for artistic direction. I consider this exhibition to be very successful and a good example of alternative expression in communication roles. Another alternative way to communicate in terms of artistic experience was conducted by Moelyono. He believed that in villages the villagers should also be encou raged to express themselves through works of art in which they can express their d reams and learn to realise another experience in their lives. Therefore, he committed h imself to living in a remote village with the villagers and together they created a dynamic atmosphere of art activities that were able to light up community life. Another example of an artist who is strongly involved with socially relevant issues is Semsar Siahaan. At the 9th Biennial Jakarta in 1 993, organised by The Jakarta Art Counci l and the private sector, his work entitled Penggalian Kembali (Revival) made a strong statement about social conditions. The artistic engagement of h is work was made through the use of an 60