Cemeti Art House presents the works of Moelyono who examines the social realities of farmers and children who reside near the Wonorejo Dam in East Java. This solo exhibition of paintings and installations is open for public from August 5 through 26, 2011.

The building of the Wonorejo Dam was begun in 1982 to control flooding, build an electricity station for tourist destination, and supply drinking water for the industrial city of Surabaya. In the interests of development and land reclamation, 520 hectares of wet rice fields, residences, schools, and markets were confiscated, and the villagers were moved to either another local village, another island or to a ‘green belt’ area. The majority of the residents that were farmers, received compensation for their land and then built houses with brick walls and tiled floors, and bought televisions and motorcycles. Those who received considerable sums opened new fields of work, while those who received less for their land changed professions and became factory laborers, food vendors, drivers, domestic workers, or pine-tapping laborers. Many residents still farm, working on the Perhutani (State-Owned Froest Enterprise) dry fields in the hills above the dam harvesting crops only once a year.

Now, as the money they received has been used up and the incomes from their harvests are insufficient to cover their daily needs, many families are not able to pay for their children’s schooling. The children’s futures begin to crumble amidst the construction of the dam.

In the solo exhibition entitled 'The Disintegrating Faces of the Children of the Dam', Moelyono displays not only a number of paintings and installations, but also presents geographic data on the Wonorejo area and documents the process of working with villagers and children. The exhibition also features several glass paintings by Pak Katar, a farmer in Wonorejo. Moelyono recreates the research site for the exhibition visitors by showing the works amidst dangling swaying ropes and unfinished iron beams. With the posting of the marks that measure the elevation of water, Moelyono makes an important statement re-evaluating the meaning and choice of construction media, including the tactical precision and efficiency of the installation. Five metal racks with test tubes filled with the essential elements of the agricultural sector: earth, water, seeds, roots, and blood (of the farmer), illustrate the concept of dryness with the eradication of the rights and tears of the farmers. On one rack, named 'Titip Tanah Sawah [Entrust the Ricefields]', Moelyono plants a replica of a fossil of an animal jaw and teeth in the dry ground. Below this is a sign, “Land of Ricefield”, that supports a test tube with samples of earth in it, an expression that reminds one that agricultural land now has been decreased and the farmers have only hopes to entrust the specimens of their land to the next generation. De-materialization of Moelyono’s installation media is an innovative new idiom that is both very comical and at the same time tragic, as it counters the interesting concept of the spread of the hedonistic materialism of the works of artists of the market generation.

Besides the de-materialism installation with test tubes that is concerned with the identities of the farmers and the threads of water elevation markers, there are 12 acrylic paintings on large and small canvases that add a new social dimension. These paintings are illustrations of the faces of children and villagers that are caked in cracked dry mud. In addition to the paintings, Moelyono also presents a topographical map of the Wonorejo region along with a copy of the plans and news clippings about the construction of the dam. These documents are positioned next to photos that document Moelyono’s work process with the residents and children who reside in the area around the Wonorejo Dam. The empirical data and documentation strengthen Moelyono’s works in this solo exhibition.

Moelyono (born in Tulungagung, 1957) studied at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta. Since the 1990s, Moelyono has been active working for non-government organizationsas well as continuing his artist career. He uses art as a tool to advocate awareness of various social problems, and works primarily with villagers and children. On the other hand, His experiences in the field and exposure to the realities of life that the villagers face inspire many ideas to explore in his artwork. Moelyono questions the functions of art and communicates these reflections to different art/urban audience. Interesting interactions take place between different communities, as in his last solo exhibition at Cemeti Art House in 2004.