Source: TEMPO
Goenawan Mohamad Held An Exhibition “Kata, Gambar” at Dia.Lo.Gue’s Artspace
Author, essayist, and poet Goenawan Mohamad will held an exhibition titled “Kata, Gambar” to display his sketch work at Dia.Lo.Gue’s artspace starting from 11 February 2017. The exhibition will be his second time to showcase his artwork after revealing them for the first time at Pelataran Djoko Pekik gallery in Yogyakarta during his solo exhibition titled “PE.TIK.AN” on November 2016. “Kata, Gambar” exhibition will be curated by Hermawan Tanzil, a renown graphic designer from Indonesia and it will boast a hundred of Goenawan Mohamad’s artworks. GM as he is often addressed, will offer a more elaborate and exploratory concept to the visitors this time around.
The man who also acts as the Editor-in-chief of TEMPO magazine cites dynamism as one of the key for his artwork style. As GM moves from one complexion to another, he utilizes various techniques and medium as a way to experiment art. He was known to only use pencil or pen as the basic tools to make his sketch, however he uses watercolor and charcoal for this exhibition to showcase a richer and finer result. His two dimensional artworks will also feature his verses, poems, figures, images that even do not belong to this terrestrial world. Three forms of sketch of Goenawan Mohamad will be displayed to the public, there are Grotesque, Poem, and Faces. In Grotesque series, the 75-year-old artist will have “ugly” or “unpretty” images and forms to be shown in his sketches. This school of art is known to emphasize on an odd shaped object, which often has disfigured forms.
The portrayal of “Buto Ijo” in Javanese culture, “Rangda” in Balinese paintings and doomsday interpretation by Hieronymus Bosch from Netherlands in 16th century in an artwork called “Last Judgement” are among the examples of Grotesque kind of art. They show that even the bad or catastrophic images could be a very majestic and astounding source of inspiration for an art. Grotesque art will bring us to the realization that human’s sub-consciousness (not the conscious sense) is the one that shapes culture. His poem sketch will display “Sajak Suasana” in which a series of his lyrical verses and poems will recall the memories of a moment that is experienced by human. He seize those moments of seeing an old building, feeling the drizzling rain, looking at a flying eagle, gazing at the horizon and hearing an ocean’s wave into words which make the onlookers reminiscing those imprinted moments once again. No perspective or standing position from his side that is contained by these poem sketches. He implies that his visualization is aimed to response his verses that does not lead the viewers to a specific understanding.
Lastly, the face sketch from GM will not display figures, but faces that the public and he recognize and desire. GM intuitively form sensitivity and diligence with these faces, and went through a process of “capturing” them into an artwork. Nevertheless, he describes that faces are a form of existence which are untouchable and can not be summarized. An exhibition opening for invitations only will be held on Friday, 10 February 2017 and it will be opened by Indonesia’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Folk-duo, AriReda, who turn Goenawan Mohamad’s poetry into music will also perform at the opening. Furthermore, the exhibition will be opened from public from 11 February to 5 March 2017. Head to Dia.Lo.Gue website for the latest information about “Kata, Gambar” exhibition by Goenawan Mohamad. 
