The Magetan Art Venue (MAV) was  first held on 25 November until 3 December 2022, where it was attended by artists from all over Magetan. Most of the works exhibited last year have been collected and displayed at the Magetan district office. A total of 24 paintings that passed the exhibition curation are now in the collection of the regent’s office, which was then held by Dr. Drs. Suprawoto SH, M.Si. An initiation for collecting works of art was carried out by the regional government, apart from being a part of the government’s attention to artists, it was also a lesson in investing in artistic objects. Magetan is still relatively new within the Indonesian art map, but the enthusiasm and creativity shown by the Magetiart group is  quite good and progressive. This is proven by several important exhibitions that they have held in recent years. One of them is a joint exhibition at Pendhapa Art Space Yogyakarta on June 2023 and an international exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on August 2023. This international exhibition will bring Magetiart further forward in many ways related to the professionalism of an artist both individually and as an organization. 

The Second Magetan Art Venue exhibition currently displays the work of 12 artists not only from Magetan, but also from Madiun and Ngawi. The current MAV 2 exhibition features several works of painting and installation art. The artists involved in this exhibition includes: ABD Mukti, Agung WHS, Agus Wicak, Basuki Ratna, Dadang Widjanarko, Hendra Prast, Hendri, Mahendra Dhafis, Susetya, Wahyu Galino, Yoga Arie Kusuma, Zulfian Hariyadi. These artists possess different styles and concepts of work from each other. From abstract, decorative, surreal, pop surreal to contemporary styles. The abstract style was promoted by painters Susetya and Dadang Widjanarko, where their work was free from the illusion of forms in nature. Susetya paints by considering geometric composition and planes, while Dadang expresses his subconscious more impulsively. This can be seen in Susetya’s painting entitled “Beauty in diversity” 125X170cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. The painting depicts several areas with different shapes and varied colors. The fields are composed randomly but dynamically. A beauty in diversity which semiotically seems like the title describes the beauty of the mother earth with its various ethnicities and cultures. This is different from the abstract works painted by Dadang where he painted spontaneously and worked more improvisational.

One of Dadang’s paintings is entitled “Improve” 120X240cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. The painting has a composition of two panels with a brownish color and many brushstroke elements that display a vague image. The overlap between color strokes and lines creates an abstract illusion that is artistic and mysterious. This is also what Mukti did in his work entitled “Khalifah” 140X200cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. Abstract paintings containing calligraphy elements are arranged randomly and densely but are unique and interesting. It felt like Mukti’s paintings are a new breakthrough from the calligraphy paintings that are often displayed in exhibitions in Indonesia. Mukti’s work can be called contemporary painting which is contemporary and innovative. Semi-abstract works were also exhibited by Basuki Ratna at this event where figures and abstraction were expressed in one work. Basuki’s paintings can be said to be abstract figurative because there are many figures included in his paintings, such as in his work entitled “The big family” 150X200cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023.

Other painting styles include pop surrealist presented by Hendra Prast with themes that can represent today’s times. The digital and semi-robotic world is expressed in his current works. One of them is entitled “Birth of the Knight” 140X210cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. The concept of metaevolution that is promoted as the spirit of his work is a manifestation of his contemporary thinking. This work describes how an elephant goes through the process of metamorphosis to become an imaginary robot. Apart from that, he also presented an installation work with Agung WHS at the MAV 2 event. Agung WHS uses traditional materials such as mortar and other materials. His work is entitled “In memoriam” 400X300X100cm wooden mortar, bamboo, metal, wood, grain, 2023.

This masterpiece depicts the displacement of culture and traditional elements which are being eroded little by little with the progress of modernization. In this exhibition, several artists displayed works with different styles, such as Agus Wicak and Zulfian Hariyadi, who focused more on decorative styles. Decorative styles have been used by Indonesians for quite a long time in classical and traditional works, but many artists today are still interested in using this style. We look at Agus Wicak’s painting entitled “Freedom” 200X130cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. A painting that has a strong decorative feel but is done with aesthetic color gradations. Agus has been working on flora and fauna themes with all their phenomena for a long time. Slightly different from Zulfian Hariyadi’s work, his decorative paintings are combined with perspective and impressive strokes, as in his work entitled “Missing the rain” 100X300cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. It seems that this painting was inspired by the long dry season this year which made the trees dry and turn yellow.

Wahyu Galino is an artist whose work creates illusions using realist techniques and imagination which is expressed in a painting entitled “Back to nature” 200X150cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. The painting depicts the composition of artifacts and fossils that blend with nature. The brownish earth and rock colors create harmony in the painting. Yoga Ari Kusuma is one of the painters who often expresses his imaginary thoughts in his work, such as in his painting entitled “My Penari” 150X200cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. Imaginary forms are created as he pleases with random and wild compositions and gestures. It seems like there is something deep in his mind that he wants to express in painting, this reminds me of the Art Brut group at the beginning of the 19th century led by Jean Dubuffet. Art Brut is a group of artists, most of whom are people with disabilities. Art Brut comes from French which means rough art or raw art. One of the painters who carries the theme of absurdity in a surrealistic style is Hendri with his painting entitled “Searching for Meaning” 200X140cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. Surrealism was born in France in 1924 and developed until the mid-19th century. The existence of surrealism was declared in a manifesto by Andre Breton, who was born in France in 1896, a poet and writer who identified surrealism as “pure psychic automatism”. Many famous western surrealist figures include Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Desmond Morris and others. Surrealist thoughts are also expressed in Mahendra Dhafis’ painting entitled “Fearless” 150X200cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023. Fragments of imaginary objects are scattered overlapping and flying which takes us into an imaginary world.

This year’s Magetan Art Venue is a progress from the previous exhibition, where artists from Magetan and surrounding areas continue to improve the quality of their work in Indonesian art contests every year. Have fun presenting your work and keep working.

Heri Kris, Artist and Curator. An Alumni of ISI Yogyakarta