2 artists in Bali explore their Indonesian identities

A collaborative affair with very different results

By Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop

BALI, Indonesia

In the small studio-cum-home of Pintor and Astari, the distinctive work of the two artists fights for space. An oil painting of a family dressed in traditional batik costume, posing as though in a studio photograph, hangs next to a large square sheet of steel punctured by bullet holes with pieces of welded metal forming a super-imposed face on it. Elsewhere a small stainless steel replica of a Formula One race car faces a painted copper replica of an oversize Birkin bag with an Indonesian Wayang puppet perched on top and a can of Bintang beer (another Indonesian icon) encased on its side. Yet the close proximity of these diverse works reveals the subtle impact each artist has had in recent years on the other's work.

Sirait and Astari are a rising force on the Balinese art scene, which has often been dominated by international artists. In recent years, Sirait, 46, an Indonesian sculptor, has become known for his life-size stainless steel replicas of Formula One race cars that are executed with a high, polish gloss and covered with symbolic etchings and emotionally charged words like "love", "hate" and "paranoia", replacing the more familiar advertising names and logos. Sometimes sleek and beautiful, sometimes crushed and distorted, Sirait's race cars are his reflection on the ambiguity of beauty, a theme close to his heart since the bombings in Bali in 2002 that left more than 200 people dead.

Meanwhile, the oil painter Astari, 55, who goes by one name, has long been looking at the traditional perception of women's roles in today's society. She has recently made waves with her witty series of bronze sculptures of ironic Hermes and Louis Vuitton bags that lampoon today's consumerist society in Indonesia and its carving for luxury goods. One of her most recent sculptures, La Victime, (paint on silver-plated copper) created a birdcage from a representation of a Louis Vuitton-style bag with a tweedy bird balancing inside, the title itself an intended pun on the LV name.

The two artists keep their studios separate but work near each other and use the rooms in their home as the "cooking idea kitchen," Sirait explained. The closest they have collaborated was showing their work in their "His/Hers: Trapped in Heaven" exhibition in Beijing earlier this year. Sirait exhibited the latest artworks from his "Terror-Beauty" series, which is characterized by the use of steel sheets riddled with bullet holes fired by the artist with a handgun or rifle, a reference to the implicit violence of daily life. Astari showed works from her bag series, as well as her latest paintings inspired by the Olympic Games and the rapid economic development of Asia.

The flow of ideas between the two is evident in their work. "We work together with ideas and thoughts. She bounces off ideas and I will make some comments. It's a bit like two surgeons, who will say 'there' when one makes a mistake without having to explain to each other: They help each other, they have their own code," explained Sirait.

"But the most interesting thing for me is that we make our own decisions and sometimes we disagree," he said. "When I was first doing F1 series for a small show, Astari felt it was too much," - "not realistic enough," she interrupted - "but I felt the idea was so good I did it anyway."