ARTIST AS RADAR OF

THE SOCIETY

To look at Marvin Chan’s paintings is to find

confirmation about the importance and dominance

of narratives within the cultural and artistic

practices (esp. painting) in Southeast Asia. To

compare, modern art in Indonesia was part, or

even a project, of post-World War II nation building

efforts, following the fervor that swept through

many nations across Asia, Africa and Latin America

as they freed themselves from centuries-long

European colonization. Such acts can be seen

as manifestations of political consciousness and

modern identity.

In other words, a narrative is important as an

inherent part of a painting, because art embodies

the artist’s message. That message, in turn,

is founded upon certain mores that uphold the

truth of certain values, in this case, the fight against

oppression and colonization. We are also aware

that each Southeast Asian nation has their own

unique set of problems and social histories.

However, it is interesting to note how these different

social histories contribute to each nation’s unique

art histories that are far removed from art histories

in the European sense. Such is the paradox and

irony of this condition. On the other hand, modern

knowledge brought by colonial powers to their

colonies had become a boomerang that turned

against them and chased them out of their holdings.

Yet, even after the last of those Nationalist artists have

passed, the fervor to defend moral values [through

art] continues to live within a nation’s artistic veins.

There are, certainly, times when artists will seek

out their self-identity, to use the time to conduct

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aesthetic internalization or incubation through

contemplation, or to immerse oneself in “art for

art’s sake”, to strengthen the formal aspects of their

praxis and sharpen their concepts inside classrooms

or exhibition spaces, to record and prove that they

are capable of contributing something of value to

their nation’s art history. Furthermore, when faced

with social imbalance or injustice, good artists show

that they are “sensitive” to the situation, and are able

to express their feelings about said situation through

their works. As an art critic once said: the artist is a

radar for those around him

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Marvin Chan’s paintings are interesting not only

because they mark the development of his own

artistic practice and the development of paintings

in Malaysia, but because they also contain hidden

narratives. Marvin’s works capture contemporary

socio-political issues that might affect the lives

of those around him. In his paintings are humanlike

figures, female figures, and children that look

distorted and asymmetrical. They are juxtaposed

against a background of floral images, of leaves,

and flowers with colors that imply age and decay.

Purples, violets, reds, and ochres—but they appear

monochromatic and dark. Marvin’s paintings exude

an ambiance not unlike Tim Burton’s The Nightmare

Before Christmas (1993).

In a WhatsApp conversation, Marvin explained that

his paintings are meant to express certain things

about the social issues that rise out of today’s

corrupt practices, and how such practices impact

on a generation’s future. In other words, Marvin’s

paintings represent the sort of social issues that are

also known to those who live in other developing

nations in the Southeast Asian region. His works

remind us of, and are in the same vein as, paintings

created by Jalaini Abu Hasan, Bayu Utomo Radjikin,

and members of the Matahati artists’ circle; their

works tend to contain socio-political critiques, or

discuss the Malaysian aristocracy-bureaucracy

culture. Works by the abovementioned Malaysian

artists tend to use metaphors to explain or discuss

their subject matters.

In Indonesia, Suharto’s New Order regime lasted

32 years. Constraints and restrictions on political

activities, limitations placed on society’s freedom

of speech, have all inspired artistic rebellions. As

part of the movement, artists were not required to

take to the streets, but rather to convey expressions

through their works. For instance, Through works of

young artists—such as FX Harsono, Jim Supangkat,

Bonyong Adhi Murdi, Nyoman Nuarta, and others—

Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru (GSRB), formed in mid-

1970s, commented extensively on the reality of

art and society, as well as on social, political, and

cultural issues of living under the New Order regime.

Later on, more artists expressed their concerns of

prevailing socio-cultural issues through metaphors,

hidden symbols and signs.

The Reformasi Era of the late 1990s occurred in part

due to the student protests demanding President

Suharto’s resignation. When in previous eras, artists

had to use a variety of metaphors in their works

(to protect themselves from repercussions of New

Order censorship), the Reformasi Era allowed artists

to express their thoughts more freely and even

verbally/out loud. They could draw characters that 

resemble known authority figures, or make gestures

that would describe those figures. Examples of this

can be seen in the works of Apotik Komik artists’

collective, and such artists like Dadang Christanto

and Tisna Sanjaya.

Marvin Chan’s paintings are dominated by a sense

of gloom; decaying flowers, imperfect faces of

children—they are the artist’s way of expressing

the situation around him. In the global information

technology era like today, everyone can access

all sorts of information, no longer limited to

conventional mass media outlets that are prone

to government censorship. There are also other

sources of information on social media and other

virtual sites. Nowadays, restricted and important

or top-secret information tend to fall prey to hackers,

who could access data owned by corporations, the

military, or even the highest government echelons.

One of the most controversial instances in recent

years is Wikileaks, that made its founder Julian

Assange a wanted man in a number of countries.

Most recently, we know of Panama Papers.

Released this past April, it managed to shake up

many entrepreneurs and high ranking government

officials including Iceland’s Prime Minister

Sigmundur Dav.. Gunnlaugsson, who resigned

soon after the Papers were leaked.

The many issues of corruption by government

officials and bureaucrats in various countries in

Southeast Asia are no longer secrets that can

be hushed up by the ruling class. Malaysia is one

country that has to weather the storm of corruption,

even as it remains one of the most economicallypromising

countries in the region. Corruption is not

a small matter for any country. In Indonesia, deeprooted

corruption has wreak havoc on the nation’s

mentality and culture, impacting upon all levels

of social life. Corruption-plagued infrastructure

projects in many parts of the country have raised

a lot of concerns, especially on how they will impact

future generations. A corrupt education system

has systemic impact on the quality of our future

generations. The idea of normalizing or permitting

anything and everything to achieve a certain goal

is not useful for anyone, because it will only weaken

our mind and mentality. For Indonesia, corruption

is a major enemy that must be defeated.

The symbols found in Marvin’s paintings properly

describe the aforementioned situations and

conditions. Flowers are supposed to be brightly

colored and children are usually cute and loveable;

here, the flowers are wilting—they represent decay,

dullness, asymmetrical realities, and filth. This is the

artist’s attempt to dramatize a future situation, to

sound out a warning, or an alert signal, from his place 

amongst his community. In the 1930s, Indonesian

artist S. Sudjojono posited that a painting, or art in

general, must have a visible soul, jiwa khetok. The

idea is that a painting and an artwork must have a

soul that well-represents the society or community

it comes from. For Sudjojono, art (painting) must

always maintain a connection with the social,

cultural, and political conditions of its society and

of the times. Instilling a healthy sense of criticism

and standing up for morality in society are part of

art praxis, especially when the community or society

is being oppressed.

Marvin Chan’s works have become beautiful because

they contain moments of truth that stems from his

sensitive response to his surroundings. His works

imply an urgency, a need to respond to something

that is still unfolding in society, something that

may impact negatively on the future. So, the artist’s

responsibility now lies in sending out distress signals,

and in finding ways to help save the nation’s future.