Friday, September 9, 2016

[LIR BOOK REVIEW] The Book of Forbidden Feelings


*****

The Book of Forbidden Feelings – Lala Bohang
PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama / 2016


      "I wanted to say, ‘I would love to know your obsessions, is it landed house, gadgets, power, domestic life, succulent plants, achievements, money, work, more likes and followers, health, validation, sex, organic food, pets, perfect selfies, children, sports, religion, relationships, minimalism, perfection, muscles, urban toys, shoes, traveling, or fame?’ But nobody is prepared for that kind of question on a first date. So I said, ‘You look great.’”

       If you have known the writer personally, have ever seen her illustrations, or simpler as following her on her social media(especially Instagram, with username @lalabohang), maybe you won’t be strange with this book, and the emotions you feel when you read it.
     
      Yes, with her monochromatic illustration – always use the character of short-hair girl (I bet it as visualization of herself) – and the writing’s content which having a dark impress, or precisely gloomy, I’m sure you’ll be drawn into the mixed-feeling’s stream and also the things we think about the most but we talk least:
     about our existence in this world, our insecurity with everything even with ourself, our necessity which never in line with our unpreparedness in order to become adult, some failure on interpersonal relation (of course it hurts) because of nothing but our inner-complicacy. 

     and every pop-phenomenon that make us think, like, ‘Oh, dia bisa nulis gitu juga, ya, padahal kayaknya hidup dia oke-oke aja.’ ( ‘Oh, my, she can writes something like that. I thought her life was perfect.’ )

         Well, there is a writing I really love:
       
       Courage died everyday. When I decided to stop looking for more and started looking for nothing. I finally realized less is not always more and more is not always less. So, what to settle for? Women and men have been living side by side on earth since the beginning. Breathing the same air but always wanting different things in life. Woman want safe companionship. Men want experimental companionship. Women want all nice things in life. Men want all nice looking creatures in the world. Women want polite sex. Men want wild sex. Since then women and men always seek for intersection between their needs. Trough relationships, trough marriage, trough parenthood. “Theoretically you’re perfect. It’s just that women and men don’t have any intersection. (Page 74)

     Although in the end of the book she said that this book is not a motivational book, but I’m sure behind these 147 pages of Lala’s pouring of heart which really feels like it belonged to my bestfriend, Lala gave some short messages for reader through her perspective to sensing the world and the life itself. 
     
      For all the illustrations, if you are the fans of contemporary art, you will love it! And if you are confuse whether buy this book or borrow from your friend – or even merely read in the bookstore – trust me, when you put the book on your bookshelf, you will make an impression as an artsy-person to people who sees it.

      

     Regards,
     yuralasari



     PS: I read and wrote this review on a rainy afternoon of windy September, and in the moment when I have experienced some exhausting emotions – in the romantic context . And I felt like I’d got friend  at the time.



Sunday, May 15, 2016

On the Table - Exhibition Series


Lir presents: "On the Table - Exhibition Series"

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(scroll down for english)


Kami mengartikan istilah "On the Table" di pameran dalam dua makna: 1. secara harfiah: di atas meja, dan 2. secara idiom: meletakkan subyek dan poin-poin untuk didiskusikan oleh kelompok. Apabila tahun lalu kami membuat pameran retrospektif untuk melihat ulang dan menanyakan pada diri sendiri "apa saja yang sudah kamu lakukan 4 tahun terakhir"; maka kali ini pertanyaan kami berkembang menjadi "setelah 5 tahun, apa yang akan kamu lakukan sekarang?".

Untuk menjawabnya, kami membedah berbagai kegiatan yang diinisiasi Lir dan menjadi kepedulian utama kami saat ini ke dalam tiga pameran yang berbeda: 1. The Observant Club yang merupakan platform riset kuratorial yang kami mulai sejak tahun lalu, 2. Independent Book Making Club yang coba kami hidupkan kembali dengan sebuah pameran buku yang sekaligus menjadi spion untuk melihat ke belakang dan mengingat sejarah ruang, ketertarikan atas buku, dan bentuk buku sebagai medium karya dan ruang pamer alternatif , serta 3. Exhibition Laboratory yang merupakan platform 'sekolah liar' yang berbentuk laboratorium penciptaan karya seni dan pameran tunggal.

Secara harfiah dan sederhana, seluruh pameran akan ditampilkan di atas meja sebagai alternatif atas dinding. Ketika sebuah ruang alternatif kerap mendapatkan pertanyaan "alternatif atas apa?", maka pertanyaan sulit tersebut kami jawab dengan bermain-main. Pada akhirnya, gagasan atas ruang alternatif membebaskan gagasan atas ruang pamer dan memperluas cakupan bentuknya. Galeri bisa tidak berbentuk galeri, dipindah ke jalanan, ruang privat, ataupun dimampatkan dalam bentuk buku. Dinding ruang pamer bisa digantikan perannya oleh pepohonan, facade gedung, atau dalam hal ini: di atas meja! Menjadi alternatif memberikan kebebasan untuk memilih jalur-jalur yang tidak biasa. Kali ini kami menggabungkan keduanya dan mempresentasikan separuh seri pameran ini di dalam sebuah galeri white-cube yang berlokasi di kompleks situs bersejarah di dunia seni rupa Jogja. Karena, bagaimanapun, sebuah ruang seni alternatif memiliki kebebasan untuk menapakkan kedua kaki di atas dua tanah yang berbeda, bukan?

Selain itu, kami pun menikmati kemiripan ruang Lir dengan sebuah meja: sifatnya yang lebih intim, ruang yang terbatas dan cenderung sempit, serta sifatnya yang dekat dengan keseharian dan mudah dijangkau tanpa adanya teror ruang. Bagi kami, meja juga memungkinkan adanya interaksi dan mengundang orang untuk melakukan kegiatan di atasnya. Baik dalam presentasinya sebagai meja makan, meja belajar, meja kedai, hingga meja praktek dalam rangkaian pameran ini; seluruhnya merupakan cerminan atas Lir dan kedekatannya dengan elemen makanan, ruang belajar kelompok, keberadaan kedai dan adanya ruang bertemu untuk berinteraksi, mencatat, bertanya, dan membuat kesimpulan.

Dalam pameran pertama "The Observant Club's Fine (Art) Dining", adanya sebuah performative exhibition menjadi inti dari pameran ini dan berfungsi sebagai pendidikan seni alternatif. Sejumlah duta seni rupa akan diundang ke sebuah jamuan makan yang menampilkan karya-karya seni berbasis makanan. Lini masa keluarnya karya tersebut dalam sejarah seni rupa Indonesia ditampilkan dalam urutan makan dalam three-course dining. Saat pertunjukan sedang tidak berlangsung, terdapat pameran dokumentasi dan modul pelengkap bagi karya ini.

Dalam pameran kedua "(Not a) Book (but a) Show", sejumlah seniman diundang untuk membuat 'pameran tunggal' yang diwujudkan dalam sebuah 'ruang pamer' yang berbentuk buku. Maka dalam pameran buku ini; buku dilihat sebagai ruang pamer, sebagai pameran itu sendiri, maupun sebagai karya final berbentuk artist book.

Dalam pameran ketiga "Exhibition Laboratory Representative Duel/Duet", dua seniman lulusan Exhibition Laboratory #1 dan #2 diundang untuk mengembangkan proyek mereka masing-masing yang dulu dipamerkan dalam pameran tunggal di Lir.

Seluruh pameran ini dibuat untuk dinikmati perlahan dengan kedekatan fisik dan adanya interaksi. Kami juga memamerkan rangkaian pameran ini di dua lokasi untuk memperkenalkan kerja kuratorial Lir yang kini dilakukan secara kolektif dalam sebuah tim kuratorial. Hal tersebut memungkinkan kami membuat pameran dalam kerangka kuratorial Lir di lokasi lain di luar Lir Space. Maka, catat tanggal dan lokasi pameran; dan selamat menikmati!

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(english)

We translate the term "On the Table" as: 1. literally: on the table, and 2. by its idiom: subject to submitted as a point of discussion by the group. Last year, we made a retrospective exhibition to look back and ask ourselves "what have you done in the past 4 years?"; now our question evolves to "after 5 years, what are you planning to do?".

To answer the question, we review previous projects we initiated that have become our main concern and present it in three different exhibitions: 1/ The Observant Club -a curatorial research platform we started last year, 2/ Independent Book Making Club -a club we are trying to revive with a book show that also become a rearview mirror to look back and remember the history of our space, our interest in books, and the form of book as a chosen medium and alternative exhibition space, also 3/ Exhibition Laboratory -our 'wild school' platform in form of a laboratory for creating artwork and solo exhibition.

Quite literally and simply, all exhibitions will be presented on the table as an alternative of the wall. When an alternative artspace often face a question of "being an alternative of what?"; we decided to answer the difficult question playfully. At the end, the idea of an alternative space liberated the notion of an exhibition space and broadens the scope of its form. A gallery can be gallery-less, presented on the street, private area, or even compressed into a book. The wall of an exhibition space can fully perform its function on a tree, on a facade of a building, and in this case: on the table! Being 'the alternative' gives freedom to choose unusual path. This time, we combine the two and present half of the series inside a white cube gallery located on an art historical site in Jogja. Because, well, an alternative space has such freedom to step both feet on different ground, right?

Aside from that, we like the likeliness of Lir as a space with a table: it is intimate, the space is limited and even narrow, and its nature is close with the daily life and approachable without that certain 'terror' of an artspace. For us, the wall makes interaction possible and invites people to make and do things on it. Whether it is presented as a dining table, a desk, a counter, or a practice table; all of which are becoming the reflection of Lir's affair with food, study group, the presence of a shop and gathering space to interact, take notes, ask, and draw a conclusion.

In the first exhibition "The Observant Club's Fine (Art) Dining", a performative exhibition become the whole essence of this exhibition and have a role in becoming an alternative art education. A number of visual art free-agents are invited on a dining party that will present edible food-based fine art. The timeline of those works in the Indonesian art history will be presented on three-course dining arrangement. When the performance is not present, a documentation and supplementary module will be exhibited as part of this work.

The second exhibition in the series "(Not a) Book (but a) Show", several artists are invited to make 'solo exhibition' in form of book as 'exhibition space'. Thus, in this book show; book is an exhibition space, an exhibition, and an artist-book as final artwork presentation.

The third exhibition "Exhibition Laboratory Representative Duel/Duet", two young artists graduated from Exhibition Laboratory #1 and #2 are invited to develop their projects that were exhibited in their solo exhibition at Lir.

The whole exhibition series is made to be enjoyed slowly with a physical proximity and interaction. We also exhibit this series in two different locations to introduce our collective curatorial work as a curatorial team under Lir’s name. It allows us to create projects in Lir's curatorial platform at other location outside Lir Space. So, save the date and exhibition location; and enjoy the show!


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Exhibition | Pameran


On the Table : 01 - "The Observant Club's Fine (Art) Dining"
(a performative exhibition | an alternative art education)

presenting works by:
Mella Jaarsma | Agung Kurniawan | Alfin Agnuba | and other collaborators

May 24 - June 7, 2016 @ Lir Space

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On the Table: 02 - "(Not a) Book (but a) Show"
(book as an exhibition space | book as an exhibition)

presenting works by:
Edita Atmaja | Iwan Effendi | Mamuk Ismuntoro | Pasangan Baru x Alexander Reza | Stereoflow | Terra Bajraghosa | Yonaz Kristy Sanjaya | Yudha Sandy x Shigeru Joji x Linda Soetomo

24 May - 7 June, 2016 @ Jogja Contemporary
10 June - 24 June, 2016 @ Lir Space

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On the Table: 03 - "Exhibition Laboratory Representative Duel/Duet"
(two Ex.Lab. artists | one show)

presenting works by:
Alfin Agnuba and Isnen Bahar Sasmoyo

10 - 24 June, 2016 @ Jogja Contemporary

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Venue | Lokasi


Lir Space
Jl.Anggrek 1/33
Baciro - Yogyakarta

Jogja Contemporary
Kompl.Jogja National Museum
Jl.Prof.Ki Amri Yahya no.1
Gampingan - Yogyakarta

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for more information, check: www.lirspace.net or instagr.am/lirspace

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

[LIR BOOK REVIEW] Sepeda Merah #1: Yahwari


*****

Sepeda Merah #1: Yahwari – Kim Dong Hwa
PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2012


“Yang baru untuk si sulung, dan yang paling bagus dikhususkan untuk si bungsu. Pada akhirnya, selalu Sang Ayah yang memakai kaus kaki yang berlubang.”
(Halaman 57, Kisah 11: Kaus Kaki)



Kalimat di atas adalah sepenggal dari beberapa kalimat dalam buku ini yang masih saya ingat sampai sekarang. Sampul yang manis dengan jumlah halaman yang tipis cukup menarik  saya -- yang waktu itu sedang terburu-buru -- untuk tetap membacanya Namun, meskipun tipis, suasana puitis, romantis, dan juga melankolis, tetap berhasil disampaikan oleh Kim Dong Hwa.

Bagi saya. kebiasaan -- atau keterbiasaan-- membentuk ingatan, ingatan membentuk pandangan, dan pandangan membentuk perbuatan.  Hal barusan terlihat jelas sebagai kisah yang ingin disampaikan dalam novel grafis ini: mengenai kehidupan dari kacamata seorang tukang pos yang menggunakan sepeda merahnya untuk mengantarkan surat di Desa Yahwari.

Setiap hari, tukang pos ini melewati jalan yang sama hingga ia hapal dengan rumah dan detilnya, penghuninya, bahkan kebiasaan penghuninya, meski ia tidak tau nama-nama mereka (dan sejujurnya saya juga tidak tau nama tukang pos itu). Keterbiasaan ini juga menjadikan ia memiliki pandangan yang sangat terbuka terhadap penduduk desa itu. Ia tidak segan untuk berbuat baik dan memberikan bantuan, mulai dari mengantarkan orang asing hingga mendengarkan cerita seorang kakek yang sudah tinggal sendirian, meskipun ia sedang bekerja.

Kisah dalam buku ini dibagi menjadi beberapa bagian, yaitu Kisah para Ibu, Kisah Para Ayah, dan Kisah Penduduk Desa Lain, yang semuanya digrafiskan oleh Kim Dong Hwa sendiri dengan keindahan yang bersahaja.

Pada akhirnya, membaca buku ini juga mengingatkan saya pada perasaan zaman kecil dulu -- saya adalah angkatan muda generasi 90an sehingga masih sempat merasakan komunikasi lewat surat meski bukan sebagai komunikasi primer – yang kerapkali deg-deg-an saat menunggu surat dari tukang pos, tapi kali ini saya mengalami perasaan dari kacamata tukang pos itu sendiri. Lucu juga, ya, jadi tukang pos?

Salam,

yuralasari

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

[TEASER] Turning Five!


*****

May is always the most exciting month of the year for us. It represent the personal new year of Lir: it's the month of our anniversary! Lir is turning 5 on May 9, 2016. For our 5th anniversary, we have several programs lining up, waiting to be formally announced to the world. We are giddy with excitement right now. 

So, what to expect this month at Lir? I can give you some hints.. (while the rest of it remain secrets-- stay tuned for our official poster release on Instagram, facebook, twitter, and in this blog)


Art:
A series of exhibition marathon, featuring our curatorial-research team: "The Observant Club", focusing on alternative art education, independent-book making as a form of solo exhibition, and questioning the notion of 'space' in the exhibition space. There will be four exhibitions in one month, featuring the work of senior artists as well as young artists from Jakarta, Jogja, Surabaya, and (maybe) Bali. 

Books:
Cheap book sale and even more books to take on a blind date! 

Activity: 
How about a literature class for writing a personal hand-written letter, taught by a well known author? I would personally sign up for that!

Treats: 
Stay tuned for our freebies, treats, and flash discount that will be announced on a daily basis on instagram (http://instagr.am/lirspace/

Music:
We'd really love to celebrate our birthday with some folks.. but, our beloved music-event manager is currently undertaking a 'residency' in the island of God.. still, one can always hope right? If you wish to sing some folk this month, let's make a plea to folkafternoon via his instagram, twitter, and facebook account. Who knows he'll take a quick holiday back home to make some music! *winkwink*