In the era of computer graphics, ancient graphic techniques come as a pleasant surprise.

“What you see is what you get” may not sound that interesting. But the results of these graphic prints can be a happy surprise.

Happiness was the general feeling throughout the wood cut workshop with Jogja’s art collective Taring Padi at Taman 65 in Kesiman, Denpasar, on October 8^th. The workshop participants looked so happy, especially when lifting a woodcut print from their own t-shirt or piece of paper.

Happy surprise was the expression most people displayed when they first saw the results of their woodcut prints. Even though the prints were monochrome created with only black ink. But the the results were not so predictable: One print on two different shirts could be very different, depending on the thickness of the paint upon the woodcut surface. The method of pressing the woodcut upon the medium of cloth or paper also impacted the resulting artwork.

The woodcut leaves an impression on paper or cloth by pressure placed firmly on top of it. In this case, participants tread or jumped on their woodcuts. If  you don’t step long enough, the paint may be too thin or the image unclear because some sections of the media are not pressed as hard as others.

The woodcut leaves an impression on paper or cloth by pressure placed firmly on top of it. In this case, participants tread or jumped on their woodcuts. If  you don’t step long enough, the paint may be too thin or the image unclear because some sections of the media are not pressed as hard as others.

The workshop was opened by M. Yusuf from Taring Padi, who explained why this ancient graphic technique is perfect for creating propaganda media. To make posters using a woodcut, for example, one is able to maximize the number of prints that can be made from a single piece of wood.

Modern reproduction techniques are impersonal and require a relatively large number of printed copies in order to keep the prices reasonable. But with woodcuts, a person’s hand and the wood become the printing machine.

For collective community movements like Taring Padi, this independent reproduction method works well, because they do not need to involve external parties to reproduce their propaganda media, which would be like leaking the information before it is released. “Visually, a wood cut retains the human-touch, and it can be reproduced on all types of media. The size also isn’t limited to the size of a printing machine,” said Yusuf, who goes by the nickname Ucup.

The process of making a wood cut starts by sketching a work of art on a medium-density fiberboard or block board. The art needs to be created as if it is horizontal reflection in a mirror, where right becomes left and left becomes right. After that, the illustration is carved, using small-edged razor blades or woodcut chisels. There are a number of different types of blades which produce different effects when carving the wood surface. The section of wood that is not carved is what will be printed on the artwork medium, and the carved section of wood makes sure that the medium does not touch the paint.

Once the woodcut is carved, paint is poured onto a flat, smooth surface, like a mirror.  Then, the paint is smoothed out using a roller. The roller is then used to apply paint to the woodcut surface. Once the paint is evenly distributed, the woodcut is placed on top of the media in any position you like. The media should be placed on top of a flat surface, such as a flattened, used cardboard box.

When placed on the surface to be printed, the backside of the woodcut should be covered with a piece of used paper to make sure that the medium does not get dirty. Then apply pressure to the wood cut until you think the paint is evenly distributed. Voila! Enjoy the surprise underneath: a work of woodcut art.

Location: Taman 65, Jl. WR Supratman No. 193, Kesiman Denpasar (see the map).

Date/Time: Saturday, 8 October 2011, from 15:00-23:00:

• 15:00 – wood cut workshop with Taring Padi and Komunitas Pojok. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring blank t-shirts in light colors which they can have wood cut prints created on them during the event.

• 19:00 – 21:00 – Book discussion and film showing.

• 21:00 – 23:00 – Acoustic concert with Navicula, Geekssmile, and Dendang Kampungan (Taring Padi’s band).

I was blown away the first time I held the book Taring Padi: Seni Membongkar Tirani (Fangs of Rice: Art Dismantles Tyranny), just after it arrived from Jogjakarta. From first glance, the book is visually striking, designed with the bold colors red, black, and white with a cover made of cloth and pages printed on recycled paper.

The book cover is printed using a wood cut design, the signature style of the posters and banners produced by Taring Padi, an art collective based in Jogja that has been active since the Suharto era. By using this wood cut technique, Taring Padi demonstrates they have inherited the same community-based passion for grassroots organizing as the artist collective Lembaga Kebudayaan Rakyat (Lekra) or Institute of People’s Culture. Wood cut printing is an easy method of reproducing artwork, which makes it effective for achieving the propaganda goal of wide distribution.

In a twist of irony, however, the book is too expensive for the average Indonesian to purchase: Seni Membongkar Tirani is sold for over Rp. 200,000, a price that seems to undermine Taring Padi’s commitments to populism, anarchy, and art for change. However, the cultural and political action of Taring Padi continues, and manages to find alternative, less expensive means to spread the ideas expressed in this book.

This book is meant to mark the 10-year anniversary of Lembaga Budaya Kerakyatan Taring Padi, however it was released 13 years after the group was formed. The extra three years were required for compiling and reproducing the collective art in this book, including posters, banners, and murals.

Seni Membongkar Tirani is more than a medium for showing appreciation for Taring Padi’s community art or romanticizing their community-based movements; there are 12 articles in this book, a selection of which provide constructive critiques of the motivations and meanings behind Taring Padi’s artwork. Critical analysis gives the book more depth and creates a balance between the text and the strong visual appeal of Taring Padi’s art. For example, in his article, Wulan Dergantoro suggests that Taring Padi’s portrayals of women seems to favor a traditional housewife stereotype, particularly in how they illustrate women wearing kebaya, the traditional lace blouse worn throughout Java and elsewhere in Indonesia for formal occasions. He charges that Taring Padi fails expand beyond the patriarchal ideologies used during the New Order to keep tyrants in power. Without being aware of it, Taring Padi has reproduced conventions popular with the old regime to which they are opposed.

Antimilitarism, also a theme Taring Padi often explores is also critiqued in the book. Taring Padi focuses specifically on the state military, but doesn’t necessarily address true militarism. In fact, since the New Order’s collapse and the dual function of TNI (the Indonesian Armed Forces), there have actually been more militant civilian groups, especially sub-groups of political parties and mass organizations.

Another interesting controversy raised in the book is Taring Padi’s use of stereotypic slogans about horizontal conflict. Conflicts stemming from issues related to ethnic groups, religion, and race increased following the New Order collapse, which shows a failure to plant the seed of unity within the people. There are Taring Padi posters which display stale national slogans such as “Build unity in diversity” or “Together in our differences.” Unity is a hollow ideal overused for generations, despite the fact that many studies show that horizontal conflict more often stems from economic inequality.

The slogan “Build this nation without a drop of blood” also bears striking resemblance to New Order ideologies. This is actually iconic of one of the Five Cultural Demons which Taring Padi fights against, as stated in their manifesto when formed on December 12^th, 1998. The Five Cultural Demons are individuals or organizations which value art for art’s sake, socialize misguided doctrines to maintain their status quo, legitimize of art, or attack artistic morality because they have forgotten the value of the art of the people. New Order politics have caused economic value to dominate art.

Muhidin M Dahlan, the research head of Gelaran Almanak Seni Rupa Jogja from 1999-2009 notes how the populist values of Taring Padi are compromised when the members work with commercial galleries. In December of 2008, Surya Wirawan held a solo exhibit at the Kedai Kebun Forum Jogjakarta (a sister company to the Cemeti Art House, which Taring Padi strongly criticized as being one the five cultural demons). Arya Pandjalu not only held exhibits at commercial galleries, but from November 2006 to January 2007 he joined a residential arts program called Landing Soon #1 which took place in the Netherlands and was organized by the Cemeti Art House in partner with Heden, Den Haag.

Taring Padi’s first president, Yustoni Volunteero, held an exhibit of 17 art pieces at Biasa Gallery in June 2008. According to Muhidin, this Gallery in Jogjakarta has no history of financing farmer’s movements against global imperialism through art, a previous theme of Taring Padi’s activism.

These criticisms expose some of the biggest challenge for Taring Padi as an art collective fighting the capitalist systems and glorification of individuality on which the art industry is based. What remains to be seen is if Taring Padi can use the income from gallery exhibits to fund their collective movements. But perhaps they would benefit from regarding art as a commodity and creating works of art on gallery walls or collectors homes—especially since “leftist art” is more than ever sexy and sellable.

Taring Padi, Akarumput.com and Taman 65 are working together to hold the launching event and discussion for the book “Taring Padi, Seni Membongkar Tirani.” In addition there will be wood cut workshop with Taring Padi and Komunitas Pojok, followed by acoustic performances by Geekssmile and Navicula.

Location: Taman 65 Jl WR Supratman, Kesiman Denpasar
Date/Time: Saturday, October 8^th, 2011 at 3:30pm.

Workshop participants are encouraged to bring blank t-shirts in light colors on which they can have wood cut prints created during the event. Taring Padi’s book will also be available for purchase during the event.