‘Renung’, The Modernist Series #2
By Stella Wenny

'My Own Words' is a monthly series which features personal essays by practitioners in the Southeast Asian art community. They deliberate on their locality's present circumstances, articulating observations and challenges in their respective roles.

Many people may know Popo Iskandar from his exploration of forms in cats, leopards, or cocks. A few of them will probably recognise his fishnets, but most will indeed be pleasantly surprised to walk into ‘Renung’ as they will see abstract forms of flowers and a nude woman. These paintings are rare examples of Popo’s work, yet they present a similar kind of dynamism seen in his well-known subjects.

Popo Iskandar, ‘Abstract’, 1977, oil on canvas, 70 x 65cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

‘The Modernist Series’ by Art Agenda is a series of exhibitions in our intimately-sized Jakarta gallery. Our aim is to turn the spotlight on a selection of Indonesian artists who have earned their place in the history of modern art. The first artist we featured was A.D. Pirous with his formative period works spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. For the second exhibition, we chose Popo Iskandar as he is one of Indonesia’s prominent expressionists from the Bandung School, whose works are still underappreciated.

Popo Iskandar, ‘Yellow Flower’, 1967, oil on canvas, 59 x 64cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

My first task as the Gallery Manager of Art Agenda was to assist in gathering the works from private collections in Indonesia and Singapore. Unlike the usual process in exhibition-making where the theme is decided beforehand, we first tried to source for Popo’s works that are available in the market. Since we deal mostly in the secondary market, our options were limited. We contacted our clients who own works by Popo Iskandar and were willing to sell with us. In the end, the eight paintings that we could gather were his early works made from the 1960s to the 1980s, and they all depict uncommon subjects such as a flower in ‘Yellow Flower’ (1967) and a nude woman in ‘At the Beach’ (1976). Most of them showed Popo experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. This ended up working just right for us as the focus of The Modernist Series is on works that are less known.

In the end, the eight paintings that we could gather were his early works made from the 1960s to the 1980s, and they all depict uncommon subjects such as a flower in ‘Yellow Flower’ (1967) and a nude woman in ‘At the Beach’ (1976). Most of them showed Popo experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. This ended up working just right for us as the focus of The Modernist Series is on works that are less known.

“In the end, the eight paintings that we could gather were his early works made from the 1960s to the 1980s, and they all depict uncommon subjects such as a flower in ‘Yellow Flower’ (1967) and a nude woman in ‘At the Beach’ (1976). Most of them showed Popo experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. This ended up working just right for us as the focus of The Modernist Series is on works that are less known.”

Popo painted very few figures during his life, and so the rarest work we have on view is ‘At the Beach’ (1976), which shows a woman resting on the sand with the blue of the ocean visible at the upper edge of the canvas. Here we can see basic shapes such as the triangle and circle constructing the reclining nude, an iconic subject in the history of modern art. What is also noteworthy would be the fishnets shown in ‘Sunset’ (1968-1979) and ‘Fishnets on the Beach against Sunset’ (1979). He drew inspiration from Torajan culture in South Sulawesi with their geometrical ornaments while still keeping true to his style.

‘Renung’, exhibition view. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

Then in ‘Yellow Flower’ and ‘Flower Bouquet’ (1978), we have two depictions of flowers. One is a more traditional still life image of a vase containing a bouquet of flowers, whereas the second is a careful study of shapes and volume laid on a flat canvas. The final two paintings are abstract works, one in hypnotic sea blue that shows how Popo experimented with texture, and the other with colorful scribbles resembling a child’s drawing.

Popo Iskandar, ‘Sunset’, 1968-1979, oil on canvas, 91 x 71cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

In my research, I found that Popo’s creative process involved long periods of observing the subject and contemplation. It may sound quite simple, but in fact he could spend years repainting old pieces until he was satisfied and considered it done. One example is ‘Sunset’, which shows two dates beside his signature. The artist started painting the canvas in 1968 and only finished it in 1979. Hence, I thought it would be apt to highlight this process and title the exhibition ‘Renung’, which roughly translates to “contemplation” in Bahasa Indonesia.

Speaking from personal experience, contemplating is more than just being still and thinking. More often than not, we also invite negative thoughts to circle in our minds. Sometimes, it evokes memories that we do not wish to remember, and we end up involuntarily spiraling into a black hole that is hard to leave. Especially in the creative process, it is easy to let our mind wander and lose our bearings. However, we cannot deny that there are positive aspects to this practice. By giving it some distance, we are also bringing back a new perspective to what has been on our mind for a while.

I do not know for certain if Popo shared the same sentiment, but according to the book Rupakata: ‘Art and Thoughts of Popo Iskandar’, he once wrote in his journal: “Truthfully, in my works, I express more about myself than the subject-matter I present.” The purpose of his contemplation was to find the essence of self, and this was more important than the subjects he painted. This explains why he painted the same subject over and over again but with many different approaches, influenced by Cubism from the West, as well as his peers from the Bandung School. In Popo’s works, one can find the liminal space between representational art and expressionism.

“The purpose of his contemplation was to find the essence of self, and this was more important than the subjects he painted. This explains why he painted the same subject over and over again but with many different approaches, influenced by Cubism from the West, as well as his peers from the Bandung School. In Popo’s works, one can find the liminal space between representational art and expressionism.”

In naming the exhibition ‘Renung’, I wish to invite visitors to enter a solemn space in front of Popo’s paintings. Ruminate upon ‘Sunset’ and let the sea of intricate triangles sweep over one’s past. Or observe up close the convoluted lines carved into ‘Abstract’ (1977) and see a depiction of one’s disordered thoughts while finding peace in the blue wash background. ‘Dawn Emerging from the Morning Fog’ (1976) will give hope in the midst of dark times. And ‘At the Beach’ could recall pleasant childhood memories at the beach.

Popo Iskandar, ‘At the Beach’, 1976, oil on canvas, 78 x 97cm. Image courtesy of Art Agenda.

With careful consideration, we have arranged the works in our gallery space so the experience becomes more immersive. We juxtapose ‘Yellow Flower’ and ‘Abstract’ on the same wall so his transformative lines can be seen clearly. Invisible lines that are formed by the edge of different colors in ‘Yellow Flower’ become tactile lines with deep texture in ‘Abstract’. ‘Fishnets on the Beach against Sunset’ and ‘Dawn Emerging from the Morning Fog’ are put side by side to complement the red tones found in each painting. And of course, the graceful nude in ‘At the Beach’ has a dedicated wall for the work to be appreciated on its own. All of the paintings are less than one metre in length, and fit beautifully in our intimate gallery.

The Modernist Series is enticing because the featured artists have all created works that are timeless, and can evoke emotions long after they were made. Specialising in post-war modern art, we pride ourselves on preserving these works. From A.D. Pirous to Popo Iskandar to Rusli for the upcoming 'The Modernist Series' #3, we welcome everyone to experience these timeless works for themselves.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Art & Market.

‘Renung’, The Modernist Series #2, opened at Art Agenda, JKT on 6 August 2022, and its run is extended from 10 September to 8 October 2022.

Simultaneously, ‘Numberless Forms’, an exhibition in collaboration with Art Magnum, featuring modern and contemporary Indian masters, is on show at Art Agenda in Singapore from 23 September to 12 November 2022.

For more information on Art Agenda, please visit their Instagram page here.

Read all My Own Words essays here.