Murniasih\'s paintings are a depiction of a body\'s memory filled with trauma. However, I also imagine Murniasih\'s courage to speak out. She became a survivor through her works.
By
SARAS DEWI
·5 minutes read
ARSIP PRIBADI
Saras Dewi
I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih’s paintings light up with bright colors. Their lines hypnotize everyone. Her personality, her smile, her story are closely embedded in every painting. However, behind a series of splashes of color: pink, turquoise blue, yellow, or purple, there is something that is completely silent, lonely, and even sad. At least, that\'s how I view Murniasih\'s works. Through her paintings, Murniasih immerses us in a vortex of emotion. I felt the uncovering of layer upon layer of emotions that were buried in isolation.
Murniasih\'s works have long attracted the admiration of art experts. Most of them certainly underline the erotic nuances that seem obvious. Murniasih\'s painting style was also a breakthrough in her time. As a female artist, Murniasih\'s works have become more prominent in the art world, which is dominated by men. The art researchers discussed the expression of sexuality that Murniasih poured on the canvas. Her brush strokes were about women\'s passions, a topic that until now is often considered taboo to discuss. Murniasih has broken through various orthodox views on women\'s bodies. There is uproar about women\'s freedom to be themselves.
In my opinion, the excitement of the colors and the play of shapes of the objects painted by Murniasih often deceives the observers. The cheerful side of Murniasih, who could smartly exchange everyday objects with erotic meanings, actually hides her sad side.
Immerse yourself in her works titled ”Trauma 2” (1994-2004), ”Aman Tanpa Khawatir” (Secured without Worrying) (2004), ”Hati yang Sepi” (Lonely Heart) (1994-2004), and ”Sedih Pun Berkarya” (Working even Sad) (1994-2004).
In an interview, Murniasih recounted the dark experience of being raped by her own father. She said: “I want to tell everyone now what happened to me when I was seven years old. I was raped by my father. I have so far closed my heart and mind, but now I want to talk, I am ready. I was only seven years old, can you could imagine?” (HelloBali, September 2003 edition, Archives of Indonesian Visual Arts).
Trauma
The painting titled “Trauma 2” is bright green in color, combining two objects: a woman\'s body and a jagged knife. Murniasih hinted that her body was subjected to violence twice. The first was conducted by her father and the second time by her lover. The two men were her closest people, who she trusted in. Similarly, in the painting” titled Aman Tanpa Khawatir” (Secured without Worrying)), with a blood-red background, the female body looks bright in neon green and is protected by a giant orange padlock.
The clash of these colors seems to disguise the sad side of the painting. Is it possible for a woman to feel safe in her own body, without being overshadowed by force, threats, or terror? Murniasih repeatedly experienced trauma. She wanted to shut herself up, lock herself up so no one could hurt her.
In addition from her honest paintings, we can also get to know Murniasih through her close friends. Her two best friends, Oka Rusmini and Cok Savitri, are famous writers in Indonesia. They are women who entered the world of literature with sharp writings with a feminist point of view. Oka Rusmini told; “Murniasih said by painting her body problems. She felt she could share the wounds in her entire body.”
Meanwhile, Cok Savitri in the “Ketemu Project” documentation told about the trauma that continued to languish in Murniasih\'s body. Murniasih struggled with her body. When trauma hit her, she often injured herself. The trauma became a vine that coiled around her body and accompanied her until her death. Murniasih died at the age of 40 due to uterine cancer.
Murniasih\'s unrest that erupted in her works also influenced young artists. One of them is Citra Sasmita, a female artist born in Tabanan, Bali, who also loudly criticizes discrimination and violence against women through art. Her painting titled “Mea Vulva, Maxima Vulva” is an important work that responds to Murniasih\'s anxiety about gender injustice happening around her. It is not easy for women to be able to convey a traumatic experience. Citra Sasmita collaborates with other female artists in Bali to create an art space that promotes justice and equality.
Murniasih\'s narrative is one of true stories about the saddest cases of sexual violence in Indonesia. Violence occurs in public and private spaces, in various social backgrounds, in homes, schools, campuses, religious communities, offices, and factories. Harassment occurs on the street, on public transportation, in shops, wherever women carry their bodies. In fact, it is sad that there were even cases of rape against women when their bodies were no longer alive. The world is too gloomy for women. Day after day, we are exposed to news about victims of sexual violence.
Reflecting on this sad condition, we are really in crisis and need policy reforms that will accelerate cultural transformation. The Bill on the Elimination of Sexual Violence shows the state\'s presence in preventing violence and protecting and assisting victims. The passing of the bill confirms that violence against women is a humanitarian problem that must be solved together. The bill is very important to act against sexual violence that has been silenced, removed by a culture full of discrimination against women.
Murniasih\'s paintings are a depiction of a body\'s memory filled with trauma. However, I also imagine Murniasih\'s courage to speak out. She became a survivor through her works. Murniasih\'s painting is a helping hand for women as a form of concern and solidarity to recover together.
SARAS DEWI, Lecturer of Philosophy at the University of Indonesia
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
