(All pics below courtesy of Bayu Utomo)
MENTION a name Bayu Utomo Radjikin in art circles as well as we will probably get smiles, especially from a most young artists he has mentored. The artist as well as sculptor, innate in 1969 in Tawau, Sabah, has won various accolades as well as awards for his epitome as well as informative works.
His artworks have been picked up by most distinguished institutions such as a Kuala Lumpur National Art Gallery, Singapore National Art Museum as well as Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur. He began his career in a humanities in 1988 after graduating from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art.
With four alternative leading Malaysian artists, Bayu set up a Matahati art collective in 1989, a group that has taken their work abroad in a unique muster called Matahati ke Matadunia. Bayu also founded a House of Matahati art gallery, that exhibits as well as promotes a functions of arriving Malaysian artists.
Known for his evocative functions dealing with local as well as international amicable commentary as well as a "Malay warrior" identity, Bayu speaks to The Nut Graph during his Kuala Lumpur art studio upon sixteen February 2012.
TNG: Could we discuss it us about where we were born, as well as your childhood memories?
I was innate in Tawau, Sabah to Javanese parents. My father was a clergyman until a finish of his career, nonetheless before that he was we do a lot of plantation work. So we were relocating around a lot until we ended up in a logging stay village called Kem Brumas. My dad taught in a first propagandize the! re. we r ecollect a village was in a center of a jungle, so we saw a lot of greenery.
After school, we could usually take off your garments as well as go in to a river beside a village. The village was a migrant village; people from all over Sabah came to work as loggers there. They did not own their house, as well as if they got another pursuit they would pierce out of a residence as well as a village. So we were all a time meeting opposite friends. Suddenly we would have brand new neighbours, as well as then after that they would pierce out.
Tell us a bit about your family as well as your ancestry.
My grandparents upon both sides were from Indonesia, Banjarnegara, Jawa Tengah. We still have family there, as well as once in a whilst my relatives go there to revisit relatives.
I never much continuous much with my ancestry, even nonetheless we knew we were Javanese. Where we have been from, people had to work hard. It's not a gentle life, so people were some-more endangered about bringing up their kids. They did not unequivocally consider about where they came from, that's how we see it. So we did not unequivocally know much about a grandparents' histories. It was mentioned, however, that my motherly grandfather was a soldier.
To me, we felt that Sabah was its own country, where people from a outside came in. Outsiders from a Philippines, from Indonesia, as well as alternative parts of a region changed there since they were seeking for a new, improved life. So we consider they were not trying to dont consider about a past, nonetheless to consider less about it as well as some-more about a destiny building things up for their young kids as well as creating brand new memories.
Bayu's relatives as well as brother (seated) with his university mates in Sabah.
So where did your passion for art come from?
In first propagandize we unequi! vocally favourite drawing, similar to all kids. But we could outlay hours drawing, as well as go upon without eating. we favourite to copy images, as well as after a whilst a little of my teachers regularly asked me to draw things for them.
I recollect a single clergyman from a Philippines, she was a a single who clarified for me that we was in to drawing. She taught English as well as alternative subjects as well as asked me to draw cinema so students could assimilate her classes better. And she paid me money! (Laughs)
But we still did not take it seriously, as well as was not endangered with it in delegate school, actually. we was a normal student, we had slightly improved formula in a SRP examinations as well as went in to a scholarship stream. We had no choice a relatives longed for us to be a best, as well as a scholarship tide seemed to suggest improved opportunities. While we favourite biology, we usually didn't get mathematics as well as physics, as well as a single more math horrified me! So we took art as a theme for SPM, as well as got great formula for it. we later went in to UiTM's propagandize of arts.
Your work deals with unequivocally interesting notions of identity. When did we essentially begin meditative of these concepts of being Malaysian, of being Malay?
I never suspicion of myself as Malay when we was young, it was usually when we came here (to Peninsular Malaysia). And these concepts started unequivocally taking figure towards a finish of a 1990s, not during school. During propagandize all a artists had to take upon a theme make a difference in their work, as well as so we took upon tellurian events such as poverty, war as well as amicable issues. we hold a piece for a single chairman uncover in 1996, that had a unequivocally great response. People favourite it as well as longed for to see more. But something was happening to me. After we did a piece for a single chairman uncover we felt similar to we could not take it anymore. w! e was al l a time seeking for images, as well as every time we flipped a newspaper or watched television, it was so intense.
Maybe we was painting a little guy in Somalia in poverty, as well as then people would contend a work was great or buy it. But during a single indicate we felt similar to it didn't bond to me anymore, as well as that it didn't feel right. we felt similar to we was not expressing a entire picture, even nonetheless in a arts, we have been contributing upon a turn to help or pierce people. Maybe we was young, as well as we usually felt it was as well much. we had turn an picture hunter, as well as so, after my piece for a single chairman exhibition, we took a break as well as did abstract.
During his student days during UiTM
And this was a duration we got in to we do self-portraits?
That was a duration we was rethinking what we was doing, as well as rethinking myself. we did a lot of self-portraits, a single total exhibition. It was asking about my identity, about being Malay. It is quite interesting when people speak about "your race". Because competition is something that happened to you, it is not something we planned. So how do we understanding with it so we feel comfortable?
Talking about competition is a unequivocally skinny line, since a little people will call we extremist if we do not understanding with it right. But what is being Malay? What is race? Why is it poignant to you? For a little people it is unequivocally significant, nonetheless we consider it becomes poignant usually when we have been talking about bigger volumes (of people). But if we consider about myself we do anything, for example, it has zero to do with me being Malay.
So after a little thought, we began meditative that a Malays regularly bond strongly to a old zaman kesultanan Malacca Malay days. All a sultans, panglima, Hang Tuah as well as Hang 5 (warrior brother! s) a st ory of being Malay anchors upon that era. But that has zero to do with Malays now, so why is it so strong? At sure points we feel that these stories sound similar to myth, nonetheless we feel continuous since there is a spiritual tie or bond there.
Was this a inspiration during a back of your "Malay warrior" series?
If we speak about a "Malay warrior", what have been your perceptions? The Malay or Chinese soldier looks a sure approach since of costume, for example. But what if we do not make use of a costume? What if we make use of normal garments to paint this? So we asked my models to take a normal kain as well as pose with it in a sure way. People would demeanour during my sketch as well as say, "This is a Malay warrior." But basically, they were complicated Malay boys, imitative something that had elements of a Malay warrior. Some normal hand poses would get a response, like: "Oh, that is silat!"
So my viewpoint is essentially that a Malay is seeking for images of a preferred Malay. They wish to find things that paint this, they wish to bond to a ideal. And we consider a chairman likes to glorify a competition so they can be unapproachable to be partial of that race. That is why we consider a story of Hang Tuah will never end, since it has those images, as well as those elements of avocation as well as loyalty. We do not know a actuality they could [have been] normal people, usually similar to us. But we usually have a saved stories that remain, as well as those have been a usually ones we wish to take.
With his secondary-school friends. Bayu is in a center row, third from left.
And how did all of this figure your own thoughts about being Malaysian?
I consider a little people do not assimil! ate none theless have been unapproachable of their own race, as well as they find out great qualities. But right divided when Malaysians speak about race, it is similar to people have been trying to emanate a defense from others.
We wish to possess as well as own it for ourselves, and, during a same time, we wish a defense from others?
Yes, even if we do not unequivocally assimilate it. There have been those who understanding with a Chinese, nonetheless they competence usually correlate as well as not unequivocally assimilate them. we competence know them, for example, nonetheless we do not unequivocally assimilate their enlightenment or perspective.
Many usually keep observant alternative races "are similar to this" or "they have been similar to that." But when we unequivocally make friends with a Chinese as well as when we unequivocally assimilate them, we have been essentially allowing them to enter your being. You have been unapproachable we have been Malay as well as can welcome a Chinese. These have been a great elements people should have some-more of, not that sure things have been being in jeopardy as well as all that. The indicate to me is that if we do not welcome any other, this "being Malaysian" will not happen. We can contend we have been Malaysians since we have been staying upon a same land, nonetheless it is not similar to that upon a inside. You have been innate here, nonetheless we still do not accept alternative races to be a partial of you.
Some would contend we Malaysians have been unequivocally rapt with a celebrations, a rituals, a shows, nonetheless we have been talking about acceptance, as well as something some-more inward.
I consider a indicate is to assimilate a peculiarity of alternative races as well as not deny them. When we have that, it does not make a difference whoever comes to Malaysia they can be partial of Malaysia as well as be Malaysian. Otherwise, we know, we can regularly contend we have been Mal! aysian, nonetheless we will regularly question yourself as well as ask, "How Malaysian only am I?" In what areas do we consider we have been indeed Malaysian? Just since we were innate upon this land? we consider a lot of people consider that, since we know we consider that, too.
Bayu as well as a Matahati members during Mount Kinabalu after graduating in 1992.
You have been a coach to so most young artists as well as creatives. Do we see any efforts to break down these barriers or fences?
When I'm we do my work we find something, as well as we feel it is important to me. Other people competence find things their own way. It has got to be that way. The great indicate is that we do not have a vital dispute yet, for example, a approach they were killing any alternative in Indonesia (in West Kalimantan). But in a way, it is since there is no dispute that people understanding with silently. We can put it divided since it is not urgent, zero happened. In Indonesia, they unequivocally had to understanding with that as well as unequivocally understand.
I consider injustice is similar to sin. Everyone has finished it, nonetheless in opposite degrees. Whether we similar to it or not, everyone is a extremist to a sure level, their own levels. How we understanding with it is a issue. Why, for example, do we have to contend "that Chinese guy did that to me"? Is that necessary? Why not usually "that guy"?
What have been we hopeful for when it comes to Malaysia?
The nation is moving, we cannot envision a future. You can set up it up nonetheless we will never know. You competence contend a nation needs sure things during a single time, nonetheless in another time that viewpoint competence be out-of-date as well as not suitable for a destiny or a subsequent generation. They! will ha ve their own perspectives. So we consider what Malaysians should be endangered with is getting to know themselves better. Embrace everyone better. 
The bookFound in Malaysia Volume 2, that was launched upon Malaysia Day 2011, is right divided accessible in bookstores for RM50. It facilities previously unpublished interviews with Asha Gill, Lillian Too, Khairy Jamaluddin as well as Baru Bian. Volume 1 ofFound in Malaysia, featuring 54 progressing interviews, is currently in its second imitation run as well as retailing during RM45.
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