Aisul’s paintings are fascinating since the visitors are placed outside the explicit whirl of idea. They take the visitors to no particular issue, freeing the enthusiasts from any boundary.
Energi #4 (Energy #4), 100x140cm, acrylic on canvas, 2013
Right after the entrance of white canvas in Gallery 3 TIM, visitors are faced with white canvasses of black-and-white acrylic color. Brushes of black form no particular figures or objects. These black brushes seem to be intended to convey no meanings as the message. The shapeless black brushes are given white splotches. Whilst black dots are scattered on the white ones.
What the visitors can see from this is harmony. The paintings give us a pleasant sense of harmony. They provide peace from the play of black and white, the mixes in between makes the people prolong their stops in front of them. In specific viewing distance, the dynamics of black and white feels even more pervasive.
The sketches and paintings in Gallery 3 of Taman Ismail Marzuki, November 20-28 2013 is a solo exhibition of Aisul Yanto, Energy Poetry. The exhibition is comprised of 36 artworks; 29 paintings and 7 sketches, made from 2004 – 2013.
In this period of time, a critical enthusiast may find that this artist’s paintings are made consistently; black and white with non figurative pattern. Some artworks made in 2013 are adorned with red amidst the sea of black.
Why energy? “Energy exists in both human and universe. Human possess energy in small scale (jagad cilik) whilst the universe possess energy in large scale (jagad besar). They are inseparable from cosmic system,” said Aisul Yanto.
Energi #6 (Energy #6), 175x145cm. acrylic on canvas, 2013
Furthermore, Aisul is truly intimate with Eastern reflection, especially where he culturally grows. A culture based on feeling of keeping harmony in each living aspect. Thus the concept is not only in Java, but almost every culture mentioned in Eastern is related to harmony, namely the far east countries like China, India and Japan. The slice of mind exists in seeing the paintings are of signs from Papuan tribes, whose dancers or tribal people have white splotches on their body.
Take a look on a painting titled Energi #2 (Energy #2) which size is 100×140 cm (2013). The painting seems to sport a figure of fighting black snakes, minus the heads and tails. There are white splotches and black dots on the bodies. Outside the bodies, however, black splotches are given. These black and white colors coexist, forming a harmony.
Energi #4 (Energy #4), size 100×140 cm (2013) presents a smoother form of black on white, compared to the previous painting. The black color does not form a round circle akin to a body of a snake. What exist are wide brushes, white splotches on black color. Red color appears amidst the black. Out of the black’s border, black splotches are etched onto a sea of white. There is a swirling movement felt from the play of black’s form with black and white splotches.
A pleasant nuance comes when one sees the painting Energi #6 (Energy #6) 175×145 cm (2013). Black chunks are painted on the canvas, straying long with black splotches. Below that, an even wider chunks of black uses up more than half of the canvas. These chunks represent nothing in particular other than rhythmical moves between black on white and white on black. The painting offers “slow moves”, inside, and more reflective compared to the previous two paintings.
Energi #2 (Energy #2), 100x140cm, acrylic on canvas, 2013
See the differences with Jakarta #5 130×100 cm (2007). The black chunks in forms of vines present a sense of crowd, far from quietness, from reflective situation. Between the competing black and white, a strong sense of negating each other is felt strongly. The crowd almost left no empty room to distance one self. The painting depicts the feeling of Jakartans.
Aisul’s paintings are fascinating since the visitors are placed outside the explicit whirl of idea. They take the visitors to no particular issue, freeing the enthusiasts from any boundary. Nevertheless, people may grow out of it since the paintings seem to mirror each other despite these being in the making for nine years.***
