Lama Sabakhtani

Teks Argus Firmansah

Humanizing theological meaning through real objects representation.

The theme of artists and his connection with his sacred entity is still dominant in the event of Indonesia’s fine-art. This can be observed also in the sole exhibition of Ay Tjoe Christine on artistic collaboration with Deden Sambas in the Lawangwangi Art and Science Estate, Bandung, titled; “Lama Sabakhtani Club”.

Ay Tjoe Christine presented a different concept with her previous sole exhibition; Symmetrical Sanctuary in SIGIArt Space, Jakarta, last January 2010. Now Christine is journeying through the interpretation of Jesus’s last remark on the cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabakhtani” (Marcus 15:34 and Mathews 27:46). Christine’s intrigue towards this theological entity was showcased in Christine’s unique images, as the exhibition’s subject-matter.

What’s interesting was not only the two-dimensional production which was produced as a personal project, but also the three-dimensional works worked together with Deden Sambas as the implementer-artist, leading to the presentation of 4 eye-catching three-dimensional works. On the two-dimensional works, Hendro Wiyanto affirmed that the visual idea of Ay Tjoe Christine with the main elements such as the flaming cadmium red – red colors and piles of gloom black – ivory black colors were more dominant.

“The colors are produced from the sticks of oil-paints those are more freeing when nocked, creating a linier drawing and sense,” Hendro Wiyanto said. On the gigantic three-dimensional work titled ‘Lama Sabakhtani #1”, Christine displayed the object of a guillotine with three blades connected to light bulbs. Deden Sambas executed the three-dimensional work quite in a perfectionist manner by bringin the object to live in a 50 seconds cycle. The three blades go up and down in 50 seconds duration, resulting in a sound effect which Christine believed to echo the interpretation of the text ‘lama sabakhtani’.

The work can probably answer Christine’s problem in interpreting the intersubjective relation that almost always bounce back to her works. The exclamation ‘lama sabakhtani’ that is full of religious theological meaning, according to Hendro Wiyanto, was made more human by Christine through real objects representation.

Through this exhibition, Indonesia’s fine-art public get to again see the power of one Ay Tjoe Christine; as a young artist who chooses an eclectic way in reading the inter-relation issue of herself with the substance beyond her being.