This young artist from Lombok portrays the world of women's bodies as pieces of cloth.
Nearly all his canvases tell tales of women – a natural favorite
object for male artists, especially if they're young; they're always
obsessed with women's bodies. Saepul Bahri, a graduate of the Indonesian
Arts Institute (Institut Seni Indonesia, ISI) in Jogjakarta born in
1977, proclaims his esthetic concepts in his latest solo show.
In his rather cramped studio in Kemang, South Jakarta, large canvases are on display, and Saepul is chatting in a relaxed and open way with the writer in the living room that also serves as his painting studio. "In the solo show this April, I was inspired once more by the final project I did when I was at art school in Jogja – drawing the intricacies of cloth and draperies," Saepul says.
A small chap, Saepul goes on to say that his love for cloth and its intricacies (its folds, dimensions, and structure) seems to match his skill in decoration.
When he was a boy, and later a teenager, in Lombok, he was a dancer, and always danced with female dancers. The traditional Lombok dance Tari Jangger gave him a great deal of inspiration about how to perceive experience, a great enthusiasm for all kinds of art, and a deep appreciation for women's anatomy. Saepul, dancing close to the female dancers, learned to fully understand all the gestures of women's bodies'– how a dancer tosses her shawl, makes gentle, graceful swaying movements, steals a glance, or fans herself.
All these experiences embedded themselves in the young painter's memory. At ISI Jogjakarta, he studied anatomical painting using live models; he won many local painting competitions in and around Jogja and Central Java. He also enjoys going on long journeys on foot, taking his sketchbook to capture the objects he encounters – usually humans.
At the Philo Artspace gallery in East Kemang, South Jakarta from 16 to 30 April 2008, Saepul presents to the public a solo show entitled "Traveling Imaginary".
The exhibition is very exotic: We are invited to explore the imagination of women with bodies resembling cloth. Bright colors and pop motifs compete for our eye's attention. Saepul cleverly distorts the dimensions of the human body, stretched and supple, as if weightless, in zero gravity. Bodies that are normally clothed in flesh suddenly soar, floating and glancing off lines they pass by. We are entranced, gazing at silhouettes and the dimensions of fabric that extends, wraps and resembles human bodies; or is it the reverse?
Here is a thin, flat woman holding a violin; behind her is a male figure; the two are united, forming a certain configuration with their bodies that suddenly changes them like a wave, ready to drown them. This painting, entitled Blue Wave, is truly enchanting. Saepul loves harmony and composition that please the eye; see how carefully he places the bodies and divides up the space.
In a work in acrylics entitled "Passion" (200cm x 160 cm,
2008), we seem to see a woman in a half-seated position, or perhaps
sitting with crossed legs and about to stand, waving her hands or her
hair. This painting perfectly places the body as the center of attention;
the body seems to have a hole in it, then, flattening out in the direction
of the arms and
legs, it transforms into a gently moving piece of cloth – precisely
like the title, associated with the passion that suddenly emanates
from the woman.
Many of the works are quite similar: cute faces bathed in bright colors. But some are a bit different. For example, in "Reading the Body", Saepul gives us a bit of symbolism. Vague, dark shadowy figures in the background of the "perfect" body of a woman made of cloth, naked and squirming. Saepul admits, "I enjoy presenting the beauty of women's bodies, these figures; I guess I, and other men, like to explore, or maybe to exploit, women's bodies."
In several other paintings, Saepul seeks to share special symbols
with these bodies that seem made of cloth. "Passing the wall" (2007)
tells us about women and their courage in facing the obstacles of the "social
walls" that trap them. The main object is a woman being pressed
from behind by her own "shadow", and facing walls before
her, wreathed in a dark aura. This painting, dominated by orange hues,
has some depth of meaning.
In any case, Saepul has, through his technique, succeeded in giving life to the spirit of "cloth" by attaching it to women's bodies. His success lies in combining the two elements in his paintings. In technical terms, Saepul deserves a "thumb up" – but only one thumb.
