The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition catalogue (APT2)

Agus Suwage spent his youth in the city of Yogyakarta, then entered the Faculty of Fine Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology (1TB) in 1979. Suwage's education was constantly marked by internal conflict because his chosen field of study, visual communications design, could not stem the whispering from his heart's voice: he wanted to be an artist. Although he had participated in painting exhibitions, Suwage went on to complete his studies as a visual communications designer in 1986. He then moved to Jakarta and took up work as a graphic designer and illustrator. But, the one thing Suwage had never strayed from during his years of study was a deep commitment to his hobby of sketching and drawing. He sketched and drew on every scrap of paper he could find. Even now, Suwage has hundreds and hundreds of little pictures piled up in his cupboard. Finally, his overwhelming dissatisfaction with working as a graphic designer gave him the impetus to become an artist full-time. Suwage often begins work on his creations by developing the sketches and drawings recorded on those small scraps of paper. Although he places no real significance in his glimpses of sketches and drawings made some time ago, to Suwage, the sketches and drawings represent an imprint of his thoughts and feelings at the time. He transforms these 'visual notes' into art: paintings, drawings, large-scale collages, and installation art; they are all an extension of the drawings he has made and the things that he has seen. Suwage did not study oil painting on canvas or the other usual traditions of painting; he is much closer to 'everyday' media-photocopies, photography, pencils, charcoal, ballpoint pens, felt-tipped markers, Tippex, water-based paints, poster paints, and even coffee grounds, which he uses to colour his sketches. Although he now uses oil paint and canvas, Suwage continues his personal tradition of exploring uses of non-standard media and equipment, such as the use of asphalt on aluminium in Pemandangan duniawi I (Earthly landscape I) 1995 and Pemandangan duniawi II (Earthly landscape II), or drawing on paper-covered wooden boxes in Dongeng dari bumi yang resah (Tale from a worried earth) 1994. From their beginnings as personal visual records, Suwage's works have penetrated the barriers of space and of his own personal world. Sometimes the forms he presents seem to be personal icons that only he can fathom. Nevertheless, these forms signify Suwage's concern and fear for the human tragedy, and for humanity as a whole. In Suwage's words: 'As the creature with the highest intelligence, man has the highest potential to become the prey Pemandangan duniawi I (Earthly landscape I) 1995 Asphalt on aluminium, photograph, synthetic polymer paint 190x220x7cm Collection:Theartist of other men, nature and animals'. Suwage's work is, therefore, a metaphor for the symbolic solution to his continuing efforts to redress a perceived socio-psychological imbalance. Discontinuities exist among the norms of society, politics, the economy, belief systems, epistemology, and religion ; and a lack of suitability of the myriad objectives is to be found in a variety of sectors within the reality that is life. These create social tensions, which, ultimately, create psychological tension at the level of the individual. Suwage's references to collective tension and structural disharmony can be seen as reflecting this individual sense of insecurity. The works of art he creates take on added significance because of their intended function as therapy for the emotional disturbances that result from these symptoms of social imbalance. In brief, Suwage wishes to discover whether his work is capable of serving as a powerful influence that can inspire others. Pemandangan duniawi I (Earthly landscape I) 1995 and Pemandangan duniawi II (Earthly landscape II) represent our presence on a road; a cognitive description expressed through perspective. The Renaissance era determined the span of our steps along this road and our view of the borderline, , which Suwage states is the divide between heaven and hell. Our presence in the footsteps of an empty land is the payment received for creating pillars of power and restriction. Indeed, these represent nothing more than digits and the manipulation of humanity through success.The crying Buddha represents all that remains of our wisdom-a petrified lament and a petrified affection. Heaven is on the other side of the peak in our journey; it cannot be pictured, nor can we enquire about how far away it is. Dongeng dari bumi yang resah (Tale from a worried earth) 1994 represents a clear description and a fragment of a note about the social behaviour Suwage has experienced. It is an analogy expressed through his individual icons and represents a commentary on the meeting between the blemishes within society and the contradictions in character that result from a shared hurt. The social tension that infiltrates and becomes a mechanism for friction cannot be avoided. Yet, Suwage finds himself in a situation in which he is hopeful about the contradictory role that he has never before been able to mention, even during his attempts to shout his message out loud. Rizki A. Zaelani, Writer, Bandung,Indonesia ART I s T s : sou T H AN o sou T H- EA s T A s I A I 103