By Rizki A. Zaelani

“ . . . there is a trembling at the limit between the “there is” and the ‘there is not’”― Jaques Derrida, The Truth in Painting

The representation of the self-body in Budi Kustarto’s work is about a never ending self-identification project. Budi Kustarto has started to do this tendency since 2003 when he who is formally well trained as a sculptor, cast his own body as a model for his self-representation sculptures. Budi Kustarto, then transfers his three dimensional self-representation works including its attached issues on the existence of body’s scale, space  and dimension into a painting project. Here, he critically adapt his perception about the very meaning of sculpture concrete space into an elusive space of painting. The initial tendency of Budi Kustarto’s work, which always use the green color to stick signs into his own body, shows the representation of a dialog between the existence of two characters of spaces deeply and intensively. On the apex of his diligence , Kustarto deems that the tension on transferring the space of the body representation contains a metonymic connection of perceptions concerning  his existence  and others in the world 

In the further development of his works, Kustarto broadens  his focus on an intriguing meaning of the problematic presentation of his own body in a certain scale ―in this case, it is the term of the strategy  of representation that problematize the representation of  his dainty self-body scale among the surrounding objects and things. The representation of  Kustarto’s green body then being presence amid a catch relation of object existence that is displayed bigger than his body scale. In the development on this stage, representation of Budi Kustarto’s self-body is seemed to be among the problematic representation within various contexts including its tension between problem of self existence against an elusive and fantastic self passion. Representation of the body in Budi Kustarto’s work does not only notice  the very meaning of the body which is physically and materially perfect, but also tensions of its limit of understanding regarding his or her presence which is never fully well accommodate in the social and cultural context.  The architect and theorist Elizabeth Grosz summarizes this context  of problem that: “the body is, so to speak, organically/ biologically/ naturally ‘incomplete’; it is indeterminate, amorphous, a series of uncoordinated potentialities which require social triggering, ordering, and long term ‘administration’”

The recent works of Budi Kustarto shows the continuing of the self-identification project represented by his self-body that has been done by Kustarto this far. the representation of the body is deemed as signs in searching for equipping meaning of the body within existence of many entities that are not always connected to each other. These recent works remind me to a cultural theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff statement  that deems that :  “(t)he body is the object of whose materiality we are most certain, but the indefinable potential of that inevitably incomplete materiality remains a constant source of unease. In this sense, the body is conceived less as an object than as an area, which gives us a strong sense both of location and dislocation”

Kustarto’s works in this exhibition consists of painting containing images of three dimensional works that had been done by other artists and also some sculptures works combined with manipulated found objects. The representation of self-body in his painting shows an action and self interaction between Budi Kustarto with various object images that was quoted and then transferred into tool of dialogues. Meanwhile, his sculpture works  shows the presence of his small scale self-body gesture that are interacting with some objects containing issues of public concern. These recent works are moving closer to a subject matter called ‘a common public perception’. It’s a kind of conception which is widely and generally absorbed, moreover this ‘common perception’ can be treated as a ‘cultural myth’. ‘Cultural myth’, according to the linguistic theorist John Fiske, “express and serve to organize shared ways of conceptualizing something”

The working approach of Budi Kustarto in his current exhibition, “Among Others”, of course is not a brand new way; this approach was formerly initiated by Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp’s way has been becoming a cultural heritage of the contemporary art development since the beginning of last century. Budi Kustarto doesn’t care whether he is creating an original works or not; he prefers to become a witness for the development of impacts that probably he can offer through the exchange of ideas.

Commenting the current development of contemporary art, we might ponder a conclusion noted by the art historian and theorist, Hans Belting  that describe that : “(t)oday, people no longer appropriate culture for themselves but like a collective spectacle. . . we are not as much producing culture but reproducing the culture of other times. . that is entertaining than instructing. Artist react to this desire for entertainment and are performing art history as “remake” with a mixture of nostalgia and freedom that reject the historical authority of art “(6. Kustarto’s works are clearly not digging some subject matters regarding the issues of authenticity and originality. He also does not try to act as a guard of the cultural norms that is deemed stable and absolute; yet, he is now continuing to ‘recreate’ the very meanings of the mixture between nostalgia and the freedom of the historical interpretation. Along with various meanings that is probably attached to the images quoted from other artist’s work, Budi Kustarto try to trespass the varying development of value perception that is probably been imposed widely as a result of various operations of  some cultural myths.

Self-identification project of Budi Kustarto demonstrate some options toward the possibility attitude confronting the development of ideological perceptions generated by a myth. Principally , “(m)yths serve the ideological functions of naturalization ―’to make  the cultural natural’― , in other words, to make shared cultural and historical values, attitudes and beliefs seem ‘natural’, ‘normal’, ‘self-evident’, ‘common-sense’ and even ‘true’”(7. The recent works of Budi Kustarto are, then, an critical example of  unique method in interrogating and examining  the recent meaningful encounter with art history.

The representation of Kustarto’s self -body presented among other artist’s works also shows a position of Kustarto’s self among other selves. Self-identification project of Budi Kustarto is done by placing the meaning of  he 'self' in a relation, so that the meaning will be in provincial state. The most possible cruise for the understanding of self-against-himself will has double meaning, namely ‘the self which it also became his or her self among the other selves'. The meaning of 'essential' for oneself will therefore continue to produce ―re-made― as a space which the very meaning of the self became the process of self-reconfiguration. Thus, the meaning of self including its position for the experience in the world will never have a permanent center, in the opposite it is in the outside of its position that is being centered ― being an ex-centric(8. The recent works of Kustarto decisively put meaning of the self (of himself, or others) in a relation ―it is a relation established within the construction and perception of contemporary cultural mythology. 

Responding to the current way of living of the contemporary society, Kustarto seemingly is trying to put such idle signs for rotation and exchanges of many cultural signs that are often considered valid to be a collective acceptance. On the way he inserts the idle signs, Kustarto re-assess his attention again to the problem of distance dimension (as he had been already done in his works earlier). The distance dimension in his recent works is not clearly seen to have its spatial character anymore rather it operates connotatively. I think, the appearance of Budi Kustarto’s negative image in his paintings, for example, is trying to show the existence of the distance between himself and the others. In the representation of action and inter-action of Kustarto’s self-body ‘against’ others, observers also will be able to find a thing called distance that is constructed as a 'bridging sign' due to the presence of subjects that can be identified as well as cannot be .  

I think, Kustarto is now responding positively to something that is mentioned by Victor Segalen as an ‘exotic’ stance. As a defender of the meaning of 'exoticism', Segalen explains that: "exoticism is the act of the conscious being who, in conceiving of himself, can only do so as ‘other than he is’” (9. Thus, the meaning of distance dimension in the development of current Budi Kustarto’s works are not only act ideologically but also operate exotically in a positive meaning. For Kustarto, being in distance and  trembling within a situation between 'existed' and 'not existed' have gave him power continuously to do interfering the routine and materiality of life.

ENDNOTES

 1. Jaques Derrida, The Truth in Painting (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987), p. 28

 2. See my curatorial introduction on solo exhibition of Budi Kustarto, “Budi” (2006), Nadi Gallery, Jakarta.

 3. Elizabeth Grosz, Bodies-Cities, dalam Beatriz Colomina, ed. Sexuality and Space (New York: Princeton Arcitectural Press, 1992), p.241-2

 4. See. Nicholas Mirzoeff, BODYSCAPE: Art, modernity and the ideal figure (London – New York: Routledge, 1995), p.21

 5. John Fiske, Introduction to Communication Studies (London: Routledge, 1982), p.93.

 6. See. Hans Belting, “The Meaning of History of Art History in Today’s Culture”, in Art History after Modernism; trans. Caroline Saltwedel and Mitch Cohen (Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press, 2003), p. 8-10

 7. See. Tim O’Sullivan, John Hartley, Danny Saunders, Martin Montgomery & John Fiske, Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies (London: Routledge, 1994), p. 73.

 8. For this consideration I learn from what Paul Crowther had been stated in his article. See Paul Crowther, “THE POSTMODERN SUBLIME: Installation and Assemblage Art”, in THE CONTEMPORARY SUBLIME: Sensibilities of Transcendence and Shock, Paul Crowther,ed. (London: Art & Design, Academy Group Ltd, 1995), p.9 

 9. See. Victor Segalen, ESSAY ON EXOTICISM, An Aesthetics of Diversity, trans & edit. Yaël Rachel Schlick (Durham & London: Duke University Press, 2002), p. xiii.

Rizki A. Zaelani 

1965 Born in Bandung

1992 Department of Fine Art, Faculty of Fine Art & Design, ITB.

Art Critics and Curator based in Bandung