Lot 141: IVAN SAGITO

IVAN SAGITO
B. 1957
KELUARGA WANITA
Signed and dated 1989 lower right
Oil on canvas
100 by 127 cm.; 39 1/4 by 50 in.
S$45000-65000
US$27270-39390

Transporting viewers into another world is one of the trademarks of Ivan Sagito's paintings. Ivan's world is a meta-realistic world where some forms and figures appear extremely lifelike yet strangely void, where a sense of proportion seems to apply yet, overall, the images seems unreal. Whatever dreamlike world he brings viewers to, Ivan is a contemporary artist who is very constant in his body of work. Since the beginning of his artistic career, his raison d'etre has been to explore the reality of human condition and over the years, he always comes up with new methods to understand and to express reality as he experienced it.
The present work is dated from 1989 and depicts a group of figures. Very little indicates their gender as all except for one are faceless. Only the lone figure on the far left has a face, but its features are quite androgynous. The only hint that the figures are female is their hair, which is gathered at the nape to form a loose bun with its ends cascading down the shoulders.
The vague identity of the group only enhances the dark, somber mood that surrounds the scene. The singular face in the painting reveals emptiness, despair and apathy, echoing the midnight-tinted clouds and the arid bareness of the desert-like soil. Their hands are either resting together on their lap or resting on their chins - signs of waiting. Ivan uses these figures to express the reality he observed as a youth: that of the struggle of the grassroots society, or the rakyat kecil. They are incarcerated within their situation in life. He said, "These simple traditional people work hard to survive, as if they must simply accept what happens, live their lives in ways they do not desire in the face of uncertainty." They are powerless to free themselves from their situation no matter how hard they try. The facelessness of the group also signifies the loss of identity and individuality, which add to the hopelessness of their condition. Perhaps the single figure with the face signifies alienation. To be a woman in such circumstances would be the ultimate struggle.
Ivan uses other subtle metaphors to convey his thoughts. One that features prominently in the painting is his meticulous depiction of the clothes. The nature of cloth is soft and malleable - it can mold into a landscape where it stores and hides life's many problems and complexities. However, a garment also possesses a protective characteristic. Its function depends on experience. Hair is another symbol that Ivan employs. The most fundamental nature of hair is its ability to grow. Even when it's cut, as long as there is life, it continues to grow. In a sense, perhaps this symbol is a manifestation of hope, in that no matter how limiting our reality is, there is always an inherent will to survive.