Many people believe that art should reflect the problems of its era. For E.S. Edos, television is the problem of the current age. The phenomenal magic box. We can easily create a long list of the negative effects of television, but however long the list become, we still do not want to cut immediately our relationship with the TV. That is exactly the problem: how the magic box has become an inseparable part of our lives. Indeed, the TV no longer becomes a thing enjoyed in any way we choose; rather, we adapt ourselves to it. Such arrangement continues until at the end we are also influenced by its content, especially when it comes to a "trend," in terms of fashion, language, and myths in the advertisements... an ideal world according to the box.

Edos finds such matters urgent and he decides to express this concern through paintings. Paintings on canvases are the mainstream in visual art. After years of creating aesthetic elements, working as an artisan and an assistant to an artist, Edos believes the canvas can build any illusion and create any image he wants. Presenting a popular icon on the canvas, however, tends to be incomplete. The technique and the medium chosen to present the artist's expression will nonetheless influence the creation of the image. The context surrounding the image will be a result of some interpretations or re-interpretations. The popular aspect of the image will therefore be reduced, replaced by the subjectivity of the artist. Edos chooses to show such tendency. He make notes on some images that he finds fitting with his desire to question the phenomenon of TV, then he depicts them on the canvas. The technique and the media he chose, still in the corridor of conventional painting, force him to create an emphasis on some individual characters using visual imagery. Naturally, his expression also becomes something of an individual and personal nature.

The question now is whether it is possible to create some visual imagery, based on the visual hallmarks of the TV, that are more sublime and personal at the same time. If the answer is no, then the next question will be about the kind of artistic attainment that will be revealed on the canvas, out of the desire to depict the phenomena of the TV by using Edos's personal expression.

The desire to express his thoughts at the end forces Edo to question about the canvas itself. Does Edo wish to make his canvas a symbol of the TV screen? Keeping in mind the popularity of the TV as an artistic medium, Edos seems to be putting a bet on the effectiveness of paintings in depicting the phenomena from "outside" the realm of arts.

Heru Hikayat

Born on October 16, 1968 in Sumedang.
Studied at School of International Relations, Pasundan University (UNPAS), Bandung (BA; 1993); Self-taught Artist.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1998 "Kepak Sayap Meraih Cita", Cirebon.
2002 "Face Mother", Dago Pakar Ressort, Bandung; "Grape", Dago Pakar Ressort, Bandung.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1999 "New Indonesia", YPK Building, Bandung; "Art Works Exchange II" with KMSRI, Cemara Gallery, Jakarta.
1999-2000 "Toward 2000", Out Door Exhibition, Bandung.
2000 "Paint Exchange Gendaria", Bizette Gallery, Jakarta.
2001 "Web Site", Soemardja Gallery, ITB, Bandung.
2002 "Go", Fabriek Gallery, Bandung.

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