Flash Art
November, 2006
Walsh Gallery

Heri Dono
Civilization Oddness
by Claire Wolf Krantz

Internationally known Indonesian artist Heri Dono's multidimensional exhibition of paintings, sculptures and installations (with movement and sound) wittily lampoons Indonesian political figures, social situations and culture. Using a combination of sources, including Javanese Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet theater), cartoons and animation, the works can be understood on many levels: the works are beautiful and technically accomplished; they can be perceived as social criticism by people unfamiliar with Indonesian culture; and on a less accessible level, they humorously point at the foibles of its society and government.

In "Flying in a Cocoon", two translucent, cocoon­-shaped sculptures hanging from the ceiling enclose nude figures flapping their wings. Beautiful and strange, the creatures are too big for the opening. Using the caterpillar, as it emerges from its cocoon, as a symbol of freedom that is undermined by its narrowed exit, this piece implies that although the Indonesian government claims that people are free, they actually are trapped in political and cultural boundaries that hinder their ability to act and express themselves. Another example of governmental criticism is "Badman Blue". Here, soldiers pointing their guns refer to the army's indiscriminate and deliberate killing.

"Super Semar" is a painting exemplifying Heri Dono's use of Wayang Kulit stylization and char­acters combined with Western imagery. It depicts a flying personage merging the Wayang character of Semar, the clown, with Superman. In another painting, "Modernization Comes to The Village", a man sitting inside a refrigerator next to a toilet listens to a radio on a battery. Wittily implying the peculiarities of changing village life, both are nonfunctional, since the village has no electricity and the villagers don't use the toilet. Proud of their modernity, they use the refrigerator as storage for clothing and other items.

Although Heri Dono's imagery's references and sensibility are typically Indonesian, his art transcends its cultural boundaries in this beautiful and complex exhibit.

Claire Wolf Krantz is an artist, freelance critic, and guest curator.
As an artist she works in a combination of painting and photography as well as digitally created images.