Ismanto: Creating 'natural' sculptures on the slopes of Mount Merapi

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

In an UNESCO-sponsored visual art exhibition competition titled The Thousand Mysteries of Borobudur, held at Gallery Jogja during April and May 2007, the work of Ismanto, 39, titled The Achievement of Becoming a Champion really stood out.

Ismanto's work of art constituted a heap of rubble topped by a Buddha head.

Art connoisseurs and fellow artists are seldom surprised by the decision of juries to award Ismanto's work. The art of this self-taught sculptor, who lives on the west slope of Merapi Mountain, has long been a topic of discussion.

His stone statues have attracted the attention of art lovers and collectors from Jakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Yogyakarta and Bandung.

His statues can be seen in public open spaces, such as the Ki Hajar Dewantara statue on Jalan Jendral Sudirman, Yogyakarta, and various religious statues in many churches across Indonesia.

"I'm just a village resident," Ismanto said. "I don't want to show off. All I want is for my work to provide a living."

Although the sculptor's formal education did not continue after senior high school, he has been very successful, with some of his work carrying price tags into the millions of rupiahs. The returns have allowed him to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Yet he lives in a simple home among village people, where he puts a premium on living in harmony with the neighbors.

He gets together daily with fellow residents, enjoys ritual meals, shares in community guard duties and appears to be on friendly terms with everyone in his village.

His house is constructed of basic materials; the walls are made from sheets of woven bamboo and the floor is just sand.

Ismanto's house remains much the same today as it did long ago. "Even a dog can walk through," he said.

Ismanto's house is a friendly place, open to the villagers. It is a well-used traditional-style home, built in the middle of a housing area in Desa Temple, Dukun, Magelang.

But the house has not been well maintained and even the room partitions are made of woven bamboo. When it rains the earthen floor becomes damp and cold because so many roof tiles leak. The house where Ismanto lives with his wife Murtiah and two children doesn't even have a toilet.

"When I have guests and they want to use the toilet I direct them to a neighbor's house, or if they like, I take them to a river," Ismanto said. "They're usually happy using the river as a toilet because they seem to enjoy the experience."

Yet this house with its missing roof tiles, and so often full of smoke from the kitchen, is frequently visited by art collectors, artists and journalists from all over Indonesia and even overseas.

People such as film director and producer Garin Nugroho, author and journalist Aswendo Atmowiloto, cultural observer Sindhunata, photographer Oscar Matulloh and many famous collectors, have sat on the long bamboo benches in Ismanto's guest room.

The bamboo benches, covered by woven mats, are the only pieces of furniture in Ismanto's guest room. Here visitors enjoy short chats or long discussions while they sip hot tea and eat meals brought from the village.

Even though Ismanto lives in a distant village far from renowned centers of art, information and scholarly debate, many guests love to hear his sculpture ideas. Although he didn't formally study sculpture, he seems to have a natural affinity with stone.

"It could be said that I was born and brought up around nature, and until now I've lived around the rocks of Merapi Mountain."

"In my village are three small temples and not far away is plenty of stone suitable for sculpting. All my works have been made in this environment.

"I've also been inspired by the art of Borobudur Temple, which is located not far from here. I never get bored of looking at Borobudur and its sculptures. I feel a certain spiritual influence that radiates from inside the temple."

With no formal instruction in the art of sculpture, Ismanto says he attended the university of traditional stonework by studying the ancient temples on the slopes of Merapi Mountain. On certain special days he takes turns visiting Lumbung Temple, Asu Temple and Pendem Temple.

"I often perform rituals in these places," he said. "But if I'm lazy I only leave some flowers. It seems that I have a spiritual bond with the three temples.

"Though I don't spend much time at each location I feel reenergized after visiting the temples."

Ismanto conducts particular rituals when he sculpts statues which represent the spirits that live in Mount Merapi, for example statues of Semar (a character in traditional Javanese stories), Buddha and other prominent figures.

According to Ismanto, this has resulted in the creation of entirely different works of art from those mass produced for general sale.

"I really believe that statues in the old temples have a particular power," he said. "I believe our ancestors long ago also performed rituals before making a spiritual statue."

Ismanto is now building a Gadung Mlati, an open-sided hall where village youngsters can gather to learn about art and culture, and develop their skills.

Ismanto's journey to establishing himself as an artist has been a long one. When he graduated from senior high school he couldn't find a job. After he married he took freelance work making visual aids at the medical school laboratory at Gajah Mada University, in Yogyakarta. His tasks included constructing models of the heart, liver, head and other parts of the human body.

Although his income at the time was only sufficient to fulfill basic needs, he was active as an artist around Merapi Mountain.

He was associated with the village art community of Ngisor Tutup, the art community of Sumber Church and the community of Mendut Studio. He frequently mixed with art leaders from Yogyakarta and Surakarta.

"He's an artist who can do anything, and he's always quick to help when it's needed," said Kirdjito, an artist from Sumber village, Magelang.

Ismanto's talent as a sculptor was discovered only five years ago when Jesuit Father Sindhunata asked him to help sculpt a statue of a village woman to be erected on the slopes of Merapi Mountain.

Although he hadn't sculpted for a long time he was determined to accept the order. Ismanto remembered he had seen a suitable rock -- a one-meter-long black stone buried in front of his house, which had come from Merapi Mountain. It was from this rock that he carved the statue.

"Before I started work, and while I was creating that statue, I always performed rituals," Ismanto said. "I communicated with the stone while I was carving.

"That communication became intense when I was shaping the statue's face. According to some people at the medical school campus, my first statue was anatomically out of proportion. But surprisingly, many people liked it."

Ismanto believes it was the big stone in front of his house that opened up his career as a stone sculptor.

These days he receives so many orders that he has to turn some down. The value of his pieces has tapped into the hundreds of millions of rupiahs. He's actually quite well off -- but money isn't Ismanto's main goal. "I just want to become a successful sculptor," he said. "But I also want to remain a friendly village person."