Ika Krismantari

From narcissistic scribbles to murals filled with social appeals, local street artists have made themselves messengers of social issues.

Street art — or any kind of art developed in public — is believed to have been present in Indonesia since the revolution, when the nation’s heroes demonstrated their resistance to colonialism on walls and buildings.

Scribbles like Merdeka Atau Mati (Freedom or Death) or Lawan Penjajah (Fight Colonialism) were all over public spaces during the independence era, and are deemed the embryo of street art in the country.

A couple decades later, the style changed dramatically. Moved by youth, street art evolved into self-centered artwork, with artists using the medium to demonstrate their presence or to mark territory.

Chaotic and ubiquitous scribbles bearing the artist’s ganks or school names seen on public walls and fences were early signs of this new generation of street artists.

Ardi Yunanto, an analyst of art in public spaces, believes these new styles of street art were influenced by the break dance euphoria of the 1980s when graffiti was part of stage decorations.

But it was not until the late 1990s that more artistic street art began to emerge, their existence due to the strong influence of global pop culture, Ardi said.

Even though colorful and artistic murals and graffiti were still made to stroke an artist’s ego, the art involved much more sophisticated techniques that paid attention to artistic values.

“It can be said that the generation that made graffiti and murals between the late 1990s and the early 2000s was the first generation of street artists in the country,” said Ardi, who is writing a book on Indonesia art in public spaces between 1975 and 2011.

However, amid some self-centered artists, a different movement of street art arrived to save the day, bringing a noble mission of making good use of public space to display art that served the public interest.

In the early 2000s, a group of young artists in Yogyakarta initiated a joint mural project aimed at decorating public spaces with murals that highlighted the city’s social issues like education, the environment and urban communities.

Giant murals with beautiful and narrative stories painted in colors on walls along roads and under flyovers in Yogyakarta were indeed a treat for the public, which had been terrorized by massive ads or pictures of politicians and political party symbols.

Street artist Andi Rharharha, who is also program coordinator for the Ruang Rupa gallery, said the transformation from egoism to altruism in art styles was triggered by a change in the street art movement.

“Most of the artists started making art individually as a personal reflection. But now they have communities where they can discuss everything to decide what they want to make as a group,” said Andi, who established Respecta Street Art Gallery that has functioned as a database for street art in Indonesia since 2010.

Andi said the increased awareness about making art that has social meaning grew out of dialogues between communities of artists.

He referred to a number of street art communities in the country, each with different social concerns.

Jakarta has Propagraphic, which focuses on education issues, and Surabaya has the Bunuh Diri studio that highlights public space availability.

“We just thought that if we were using public space, we might as well make art that was socially responsible,” M. Sigit Budi S. of Propagraphic said.

But Ardi saw a more emotional reason behind the emergence of social street art.

“Maybe [the artists] get bored and as they get older they become more critical, questioning the meaning behind art making,” he said.

Whatever the reasons, there has definitely been a paradigm shift among artists toward art displayed in public spaces.

The most provoking street art with a strong social message appeared recently in a movement initiated by Jakarta street artists.

The artists termed it Berbeda dan Merdeka 100 % (100 Percent Different and Free) to respond to the religious conflicts across
the country that have threatened minorities.

The movement that started in Jakarta has spread to other parts of the country and even abroad.

Andi said that within one day, art by different artists with the same message could be seen in 20 cities in Indonesia and in Singapore.

Under the movement, artists have also expanded the use of the medium to not only graffiti and murals but also simpler forms like posters and stickers.

Berbeda dan Merdeka 100 % is believed to be the first form of street art that transformed into
a social movement in Indonesia, Andi said.

It has given new meaning to street art in the country, not only as art displayed in public spaces
but also as a tool to raise social awareness.

“It can be an effective tool in the social movement but we may have to think how to make the public look beyond what they see on the walls and that is what the artists need to think about,” Ardi said.

But, the uniqueness of street art in Indonesia is that it cannot be categorized as anarchy against the ruling system like the one we know of in other parts of the world.

As democracy reigns in the country, the government has taken a permissive stance against street art, believing that they are forms of freedom of expression.

Another reason is because the government, which is supposed to protect public spaces from being polluted, also puts its dirty hands on public spaces.

Political campaign flags and posters or huge billboards pollute public space, and have government approval.

“So we cannot say street art here is rebellious because the existing system seems to approve of such practices,” Ardi said,

With such a political and social context, many are optimistic about the development of street art in Indonesia in the future, and even heading to art forums to speak more about social issues.

“Street artists with self-centered art will eventually disappear. They will not last long,” Ardi said.

— Photos courtesy of www.berbedamerdeka100persen.net

— JP