No Smoking Signs

Too much exposure to something, even if it’s supposedly something desirable, will often send you over the edge into the realms of nausea. This is why reverse psychology so often works. My late father was a heavy smoker and I am sure that this is why none of his five children now smoke. My mind was so bathed in smoke as a child that now that I’m a parent myself, I’ve reached the point where I treat those who dare to smoke in the presence of my children like criminals.

I was again confronted by this perpetual cigarette trauma during a recent trip to Semarang, the capital of Central Java. I was in town to pay a visit to Semarang Galeri, after first chowing down at the famous Lunpia Gang Lombok and enjoying the many tasty treats that are on offer in Semarang. The gallery is situated in Taman Srigunting, an area of Semarang steeped in history, in a beautifully refurbished heritage building. In fact, the gallery provides what appears, to these eyes at least, to be one of the best art spaces in Indonesia at the present time.

Upon entering the elegant Galeri Semarang however, a familiar feeling of suffocation started to well up inside me. There was not a trace of smoke in the air but the various images of cigarettes on display sent phantom signals to my brain, telling me that my lungs were full of smoke. I breathed deeply and returned to reality, I was impressed.

The artist in question, Bayu Yuliansah, manipulates his canvases in a number of different ways. He rolls them, folds them, colours them and paints them, turning them into vivid images of cigarettes and ashes. His works includes heavy, hardwearing materials such as metal, steel, acrylic sheeting and aluminium, as well as more fluid and fragile materials such as coloured pencils, rubber and acrylic. The results reveal true craftsmanship, and a magnificent artistic vision. Images of cigarettes mutate into heavy weaponry: bazookas, missiles, guns and strings of ammunition.

The Local Taste series of pieces consists of three cigarette missiles each indelibly stamped with the names of the most popular local Indonesian brands of cigarettes. The neat craftsmanship of pencil and acrylic on canvas combines with stainless steel to an aggressive effect. Dji Sam Soe is branded as the local taste #1, Djarum as local taste #2, and Gudang Garam as local taste #3.