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28 January 2007, The Jakarta Post Eko's artistic profile raised at Brisbane by Cynthia Webb
Eko also worked on another color painted mural just inside the alternative entrance, titled What do you Want? in which he collaborated with nine Brisbane high school students, who must have been thrilled to have such an experience. And he is also showing a variety of pieces of machine-embroidered works, which he designs and have the densely covering "satin-stitch" image sewn on to the fabric by machinists from Tasikmalaya.
One of Eko's Australian collaborators, Jeremy Hynes, made a short video animation film with Eko's sketches and characters, which is also showing in the gallery. Eko was devastated to hear that on Nov. 7 Jeremy was hit by a bus and died. Ever the pluralist, Eko loves to work with other people in a nonhierarchical way. "It's more fun, and it's a good source of more ideas," and he loves the comic/cartoon style. During recent years in Yogyakarta he has been collaborating with an amorphous groups of artists and friends to create murals, installations, and a "Zine", (simple magazine) entitled Daging Tumbuh (Diseased Tumor) which first appeared in 2000. Anyone could send in contributions and people were encouraged to photocopy it at will -- easily done in any of the many photocopy shops in Yogyakarta. He says: "It is a maya (illusion) group, but I am 'the battery' of the group, which comes together to do a project, then disappears, then reappears again, often with different members, sometimes up to 100 people." Eko gathered a group after the tragic earthquake in Yogyakarta area this year, and they created a sort of mural/installation on the fallen ruins of a building in Plaosan. "Everyone can do whatever they want," said Eko. Filmmaker, Garin Nugroho, who lives in that village, also lost his home, and he filmed the process of creating the mural. Words and slogans as well as robot images occur frequently in his designs and sketches. "I started drawing robots when I was about seven or eight, after seeing a Japanese animation movie Google 5 on video. I had already been drawing on the walls of home for several years. Robots interest me because they are like a symbol of the way of life of many people who live and work like robots." Eko has a free-ranging art style, working with various techniques, screenprinting, drawing, photocopying, re-drawing, sewing and he plays with text. It's all an attempt to discard formality and planning in communication. "Words can be poisonous," he says. "Anything that has been believed might also change and become meaningless again, if repeated to often, as in politics." In December 2002, Eko had a solo exhibition at Cemeti Gallery in Yogyakarta, titled Bercerobong (chimney). There are several repeating motifs in his work, including chimneys. If there is smoke coming out, Eko says it represents ideas and inspirations. Eyes represent his belief that we humans are the witnesses of what happens on earth. Crabs' claws, long and jointed, a bit like a robotic arm, reaching this way and that, represent Eko's own thoughts, which can go anywhere, do anything, and be unpredictable. Frequently, human figures have boxes or machines instead of heads. For spaceships, he mentioned two concepts. "Someone may be watching. I can see you but you don't know me," and "I can go anywhere. A lot of things influence me -- I might find something interesting on the street or see an image or text, and in comic style it's easy to use it." There are references to political and social issues written into the works, such as Welcome to our country -- Anarchy or Say hello to your neighbor. When asked about political activism, Eko said, "Perhaps it's not for me to speak for other people, but I personally consider demonstrations to be unproductive. Although most of my work is on political themes, I think it's better to just do the changes you want to see, yourself, with your own family, your own neighbors and community. I love my country. I will never leave Indonesia. It is a part of my work. I just try to manage myself and enjoy it, and I hope that art by Indonesians can be seen worldwide." In the last year Eko has traveled to Taipei, Berlin and Australia for art events. He is married with two daughters and has completed his studies at ISI (the Indonesian Arts Institute). Eko mentioned that he has been profoundly influenced by the work of Robert Crumb the American comic book artist/social commentator, who draws with great skill and attacks issues head-on. Eko has been noticed by gallery staff from Kiasma Contemporary Art Gallery in Helsinki, Finland, who came to Indonesia seeking talent for an exhibition featuring Asian artists planned for February 2007. Australian GoMA Gallery curators were unable to travel to Indonesia to visit artists in their studios, because of the travel warning from the Australian government, and its effect on travel insurance availability. So a curator viewed some of Eko's works in an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur and online. When Eko was contacted via e-mail, by a Queensland Art Gallery curator in mid 2005, he had not heard of the Asia-Pacific Triennial and didn't fully understand the importance of this opportunity, which has raised his artistic profile considerably.
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