RETROSPECTIVE Exhibition
This exhibition was held to commemorate the 4th year of Kinanti Sekar Art Studio.
Supported by Kedai Kebun Forum & Java Videotron
Foreword
Sekar’s Silent Way
Writer : Agung Kurniawan, Artistic Director of Kedai Kebun Forum
As a bustling city with artistic events, Yogyakarta actually also has spaces that support that activity. The spaces are in the form of guilds or workshops that provide special expertise; welding, ceramics, print art, music and others. Quiet spaces, if you may say so, are far from the frenetic publications but have a vital role in the production of art.
The guild is the kitchen where the artwork before appearing on the stage was drafted and engineered. The kitchen in Javanese ideology is always located behind, hidden away from the views of the guests. That is also the guild, important but at the same time passed out of sight. One form of guild, besides the production workshop, is non-formal class. This non-formal class fills in gaps that formal art schools cannot take. Non-formal schools which are usually also called “sanggar”, have been around for a long time. The trail might be traced back hundreds of years. “Sanggar” is always a client patron. A senior artist becomes a patron while the students or what so called “cantrik” follow the aesthetic direction from the teacher. In the past, the teacher was also at the same time the head or father of the students who lived in it. There is no direct economic transaction, what is needed is compliance and willingness to follow the direction of the father or mother of “sanggar”.
This system is similar to the concept of “ngindung” which follows the same pattern; client patron. Usually the protectors who came from the village wandered, lived and depended their lives on relatives who lived in the city. Relatives who live in cities are obliged to accept relatives as part of social responsibility. This method of protection is widely applied when social stratification is still tight and social mobility is still difficult. So “sticking” to relatives who have become “people” becomes the most reasonable way to penetrate the social layer above it.
The art studio works in more or less the same style. Lout artists thirst for the science of wanderers who live near power (usually in big cities) and devote themselves. Obedient and surrender until finally by the patron declared eligible to become an artist. This method lasted for years until temporarily interrupted due to the presence of post-independence art schools. But the gap of influence was short. Because of its liquid and informal nature, the way to learn about “sanggar” still has a place. Even in some art disciplines the “sanggar”‘s method is considered to have more value than the formal art school itself.
The dance studio founded by Kinanti Sekar works in a more or less the same pattern. As a patron, Sekar spread knowledge to his clients. Fluit, egalitarian and informal. Hierarchy which was originally very strong in the old style of “sanggar”, was not found in the new style dance studio like that managed by Sekar. Aware that hierarchy as applied by masters is not possible today, the new style studio applies a casual style. Students can come and go but family ties created because of informality keep students coming back. Sekar’s studio seems to be an extension of the nuclear family.
Today’s dance studio, it doesn’t really matter whether it will produce dance artists or not. For them, dance and other arts activities are a form of communication media, as a tool to help speak. It is at this point that galleries like this become very important. Because communication today is dominated by device intermediaries, direct contact and touch are very useful. The dance studio turned out to offer that opportunity. And this dance studio will always get its living space.
In this retrospective photo exhibition, Sanggar Seni Kinanti Sekar tried to present the journey of a meeting room that was created with great sincerity. Sekar may not believe that the process can go so far. The photos on display show how dreams come true, how dance ecosystems and dance studios form themselves in the range of Sekar influences.
Sekar with his dance studio is proof that art does not merely appear on the stage, but also the sweat of work behind it. A work in silence.
About Kinanti Sekar Art Studio
Kinanti Sekar Art Studio, established in Yogyakarta in 2015, is an art learning space that was born from the idea of Kinanti Sekar Rahina, a dance artist. The learning process, Kinanti Sekar Art Studio considers two values: freedom of expression and friendship with nature. The method used are inquiry and contextual, where students can participate in the learning process and be close to the surrounding environment. Kinanti Sekar Art Studio management are people who are experienced in their fields. The person in charge and class facilitators come from self-taught artists who have experienced academics and academics of art campuses. As for the students who are members of it are anyone who has a strong determination to learn the art of dance, songwriting and literacy. The various classes at Kinanti Sekar Art Studio include Classical Dance Classes, Creative Dance Classes, Children’s Dance Classes in Tetembangan Classes, and Javanese Script Literacy Classes.
Retrospective Exhibition of Kinanti Sekar Art Studio
Opening : Wednesday, 18 September 2019, 7.30 pm
in Gallery, Kedai Kebun Forum
Officiated by Rm. Sindhunata SJ
The exhibition lasts until 23 September, 2019
Open for public and free of charge
every day at 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
(KKF is closed every Tuesday)