Indonesians in Focus: Iriantine Karnaya

A little over a week ago, I was asked to look around an art studio called Studio Axis, which is located in Kalibata Timur. Upon arrival, a man holding a welder, who was sitting crouched over a pile of metal rods near the entrance, stood up and led me to an office, which occupied about half of the studio.

I was about to knock, when a woman suddenly emerged to greet me.

Donning an ivory-colored military-style jacket over a red blouse, the owner of Studio Axis extended her hand toward me and introduced herself: “Hi, my name is Iriantine.”

Meet Iriantine Karnaya: a sculptor who holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Bandung Institute of Technology, whose works have been exhibited in various countries. For six consecutive years — between 2000-2006 — she served as chief of the Jakarta Branch of the Association of Indonesian Sculptors.

We had only exchanged a few sentences when she offered to give me a guided tour of her studio. The first thing I noticed was there were many little plastic mushrooms scattered all over the place — 350 of them, to be exact. There were also fist-sized mushroom pieces in extra-large pans mixed with different ingredients, such as egg noodles. I turned to Iriantine quizzically, who smiled at me and quickly provided an answer to my silent question.

“Mushrooms have a lot of significance for me,” she started. “You can use them for cooking, for instance. Or, you can see them as a symbolic virtue…” She showed me one of her latest sculptures: a brown globe that had dozens of little people mounted on it from all sides. “The current plight of ‘mushrooming’ opportunists. This one is called Searching for Opportunity (Mencari Peluang) — a very familiar term in today’s age of information, where everyone is trying to outdo one another to get to the top.”

Over the years, Iriantine has become known for her sculptures of human torsos. Inside her office, where we later spoke in great length about her love of fine arts, is where she keeps most of her torso-shaped sculptures, some priced at Rp 9 million (US$1,000).

I couldn’t help but ask: Why the 350 plastic mushrooms?

She explained that from June 15 to 30, she will be holding her fifth Solo Exhibition at the National Museum, titled: Menu of the Day — an appropriate heading for an exhibition showcasing various types of dishes that use mushrooms.

“[The plastic mushrooms] will be installed inside the exhibition gallery. I want them to be the central theme. I am inviting high school students to join a workshop with me on opening day,” said Iriantine, her face beaming proudly.

“I’m going to ask them to sculpt a mushroom, using clay as a medium,” she explained.

She later welcomed me inside her office, which looks more like a lounge. When not welding, hammering or casting, Tine — as she prefers to be called — likes to spend time in this space with her group of closest friends, which include fellow artists Didi Petet, Garin Nugroho, and Butet Kartaradjasa.

“The word ‘artist’ seems to have such a bad connotation nowadays. It suggests a glittery lifestyle and endless media coverage, so I try to avoid the label when I can,” confided Tine, as she kindly poured me a glass of homemade es buah. “I prefer to call myself an art worker.”

An art worker though she may be, if anyone deserves to be tagged as an artist, Tine is up there in the top five next to Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Affandi and Erwin Guttawa. The fact that she is less known by the public has nothing to do with her productivity which, for an artist of her caliber, is rather considerable.

The problem, according to Tine, is that artistic endeavors — in general — have been ignored, if not neglected, by the Indonesian government.

“It’s a sad reality,” she commented, “because our government perceives art as something of little significance, and that perception gets passed on to society. Yet, if we take a glimpse at other countries, we can see that art is more than just a field of interest. It is a tool for people to express themselves, which is an important element in every society.”

A few years back, Tine received an invitation to go to Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where she was personally greeted by the Sheikh — and yet not a single Indonesian representative bothered to document this achievement.

“Once, during a lavish dinner with the Royal family I felt really down, because no one was there with me,” said Tine quietly.

“There is a positive message in this experience though, which I think, if documented, would encourage more aspiring sculptors from Indonesia to pursue their artistic endeavors.”

What is that message? “Being a sculptor has its own rewards. Great rewards.”

Tine’s sculptures can be found in outlets in Tuscany, Antwerp and other European regions. One of her favorite works, titled Flower Power, now sits proudly at the Sharjah Art Museum in UAE.

The 57-year-old Rangkasbitung-born sculptor is working around the clock to fulfill her creative impulses and is producing more artwork that will hopefully see Indonesia added to the list of great art centers. Like many legendary artists who bestow these legacies, Tine expects nothing more than for the art of sculpting itself to flourish.

“I want to spread the word, teach people how to sculpt, so I can pass the torch on to someone else,” said the Jakarta Institute of Art lecturer, optimistically.

Iriantine Karnaya’s Solo Exhibition V Menu of the Day will be held at the National Museum from June 15 to 30.

Maggie Tiojakin