I met Su Tomesen, a multi-talented visual artist from Amsterdam accidentally when I tried to find someone at Erasmus Huis, Dutch Cultural Centre in Jakarta, Tuesday (15/03). Su performs her solo exhibition, called “Jejak†from 17 March to 27 April 2016. This exhibition features 87 photoÂgraphs which allow us to watch color bar, barbershop video, and the street movie. The 46 year artist focuses on urban inforÂmation and traces of human intervention in the informal economy in cities and traces of ingenuity in public space and she has been working for her pieces since 2005.
By : Nia S. Amira
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Su, a brief name of Susan has started as guest teacher in Sandber Institute AmsterÂdam in 2006. She has estabÂlished her professional work under SU ME PROUD as Director/ownÂer and through her professional caÂreer, Su has been working with many Institutions like for a.o. Museum De Lakenhal, CPNB, OBA, Melkweg, Netherlands Architecture Institute.
She has been doing her profesÂsional Photographer career since 1999 until present time for a.o. De VolkskÂrant, Photographer for a.o. De VolkÂskrant, Orlando festival, Kunstbeeld, KIT Landenreeks.
Su is more than just an artist as she was sticking out in various online media after she came and viewed the location of a bomb blast in person only few days after the incident. This courageous artist received her first MA in Cultural History from Utrech University then in 2007, she got her MA in Fine Art from Sandberg InstiÂtute Amsterdam.
Su participated in several exhibiÂtions such as ‘Selametan Digital’ in Langgeng Art Foundation in JogjaÂkarta, ‘Wanderlust’ in CBK Zuidoost in Amsterdam, ‘Oét d’r Sjtup’ in ScÂhunck* in Heerlen. In 2014, she has started the series “Plastic Indonesia†with the works “Toko†and “Rumah†in Amsterdam. She recently realized “Jalanâ€, a film showing everyday deÂsign and resourcefulness in the streets of Jogjakarta.
Her works on “Toko†of IntervenÂtion in public space is part 1 of the series “Plastic Indonesia†where she cycled with her daughter every SatÂurday afternoon from June 7th to 27, 2014 through North Amsterdam with her mobile shop. She offered typical plastic products from Indonesia, the land of her husband, Teguh Hartato a visual artist of whom she met in 2011. They spend their life one part in AmÂsterdam and other part in Jogjakarta.
She travels a lot for her works consisting of videos, photographs and installations. Working abroad means putting her (European) posiÂtion, ideas and being into discussion. She has been as artist-in-residence in Belgrade, Amman, Johannesburg and MedellÃn. She also worked for an international video project in Port-au-Prince, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. She teaches video workshops for organizations such as The One Minutes foundaÂtion and Unicef.
Su Tomesen brings her works and experiences from abroad to the Netherlands, Indonesia and elsewhere: She said “Sometimes she feels like an ambassador, she shows her works from JohannesÂburg in Yerevan or she presents a video she proÂduced in Cuba in Jogjakartaâ€. Her art works flourishes from researching local circumstances and observing situations. Her backÂground as a historian and a director for television integrates her work that well. By researching, she informs herself about urgent topics; exploring places, immersÂing herself, developing new work and contributing to local art communities.†The outcome of the reÂsearch leads to site-specific works.
Welcome to the polluted metropolitan and Su must be challenged to produce her masterpieces more about waste in Jakarta, Depok, and Bogor, the three points linking area from the capital to West Java province where most of the urbans working in Jakarta while living in Depok and Bogor.
