Arie Dyanto. Velocity. 2010. 200 x 150 cm. Acrylic on canvas.

Lately cycling has become a new lifestyle for young generation, including them who work at creative industry. Such lifestyle stands out among others, along with incessant campaign of reduction of pollution in big cities, and also the importance of healthy lifestyle.

In Jakarta, the campaign of cycling has also become popular in such short notice since the traffic jam grew out of control, therefore the need to migrate quickly became inevitable. Although it’s hard to track down its chronological history, the idea of such lifestyle came from the movement of ‘Bike to Work’ in Jakarta. Like its name, those cyclists are middle class men who work in central area of Jakarta, facing the big problem of unreliable mobility. The drive to move faster and more effectively, fusing with idea of healthier lifestyle, made this movement attract many group of young middle class.

Along with popularity of ‘Bike to Work’, cycling activities which tend to be hobby and leisure activity especially among the youth also developed. Disparate to group of ‘Bike to Work’ which emphasizes on mobility, environmental issues and healthy lifestyle, these other groups focus on hobby, in which bicycle itself was a part of lifestyle, fashion and represents a certain point of view on the world.

Long time ago cycling was merely a way to move from one place to the other, now it has become almost something else entirely. Indeed, along with the inventions of transportation devices which could move faster and haul more persons, bicycle was being forgotten a little. When the rhythm of big city became faster, people started to abandon bicycle.

Only in some big cities could we witness how people still pay respect to those who ride bikes as much as those who take motor vehicles which move synchronically with the speed of the world we live in. Of course in this case we must mention Amsterdam where, until now, bicycle is still one of the main transportation devices, beside public transportation like tram and subway. As it seems vintage bicycle in between modern fashionese people are such a great combination. Although not as massive as Amsterdam, Berlin is also a city where we could ride a bike pleasantly, that we still find special track for cyclist almost on every road.

In Indonesia, Yogyakarta was famous as a city of bicycle. The fact that Yogyakarta was a student city, with its not very spacious geography, made bicycle as a main transportation mode in the end of 70’s and early 80’s. Gradually, caused by the change in city structure, economy development and such, the number of people who rode bike became lesser and lesser. Incessant advertisement and credit system which made motorcycle can be bought easier made people abandoned bicycle. Higher population growth in Yogya also give a significant rise in the number of motorcycle in the city. Now almost everyone uses motorcycle.

At the time, there were already some people who formed cyclist clubs, though they might do it for sheer romantic reason. One of the biggest cyclist clubs was a community of old bicycle. In Yogya it’s known as sepeda onthel. But since their members were not many, this group could not campaign cyclist as a part of lifestyle. In the middle of 2000’s, there were variants of cyclist club, especially they who called themselves as community of fixed gear bicycle. Besides using bicycle as a device of mobility and recreation, this group also made bicycle as a tool for performing attraction, especially the flexibility nature of this bicycle.

In Yogyakarta, where Arie Dyanto lives and works, although slowly, this fixed gear bicycle grows and becomes a new trend among the youth. Nowadays, almost every young artist adopts cycling as a routine activity in between their times to create artwork. They organize gatherings, decide which route they would take, and doing some tricks.

Arie Dyanto. The Dark Wave. 2010. 200 x 150 cm. Acrylic on canvas.

Arie Dyanto, is an artist who lately makes artwork and adopts cycling as a part of his practice in art world. Besides riding bicycle as a sport, Arie designs his own bicycle actively. These activity affects the themes of his new work. In current exhibition, Arie Dyanto take his cycling activity as a source of his main theme. It’s a little bit different from his tendency in 90’s and early 2000’s, which heavily influenced by comic. Event until this day Arie Dyanto is still known as one of the founders of legendary comic group, Apotik Komik, which gave a great contribution in the development of contemporary fine arts.

Beside his interest in comic, Arie was also one of the pioneers of street art movement among young artist in Yogyakarta.  He made interesting projects, which involved some young artists, by integrating street art techniques, like stencil, print, mural, etc., to become a part of contemporary art in Indonesia.

Lately, after art activities which encourage public involvement became celebratory, Arie Dyanto went back to his studio in Yogyakarta. He started to paint again and regained his passion on canvas. His activism as a street artist, which later transformed into studio artist after a period of time, I think, put him into a reflective situation. Basic questions about painting, practical side of art, and possibly his way of living in art world, apparently ever made him unproductive for a moment. Regarding such situation, Arie could be lucky to experience such state, in a time where other artists were haunted by number of exhibitions they must do. Arie got the times to think about what statement he wanted to make. Indeed, these days when artist must compete with other statements in public space, thanks to high accessibility of mass media, formulating personal statement and strategies hasn’t been easy. In order to achieve this point, Arie seems taking himself seriously.

Exactly at those times he began an intimate interaction with cycling activity. Cycling has been a part of his other important daily routines besides being a fine art artist. I might say it’s a new passion. And like any other artist, passion and activity or personal interest could turn into a ground by which his work would stand. He associated cycling with art, slowly, although have not obvious or bold yet, a formulation of new statement started to take a form.

He met 10 different public figures, all of whom made cycling as their hobby. Arie transformed these figures and their backgrounds, presented by fashion, self identities, and their attitude toward cycling as a part of lifestyle. Most of the figures he painted, using particular style, were part of youth icon, showed how new ideas of cycling was being accepted and distributed in relatively short time by youth groups, and that’s the reason why it evokes impression of coolness and trendiness. Between those figures, we could find other young artists who made cycling as a part of their art activities.

In certain ways, the way Arie choose some particular approach is an alternative treatment on ‘portrait painting.’ Using bicycle as a red line for each figure, while showing their own unique attributes, Arie made self portrait out of its tendency in making things merely personal, and gave social context which reflected certain period of times, about what happens in our world today.

Arie describes a little phenomenon in a fast moving world we live in, making a little matter noted and gave them meanings. His choice, in presenting figures that could be classified as ‘common people,’ not iconic pictures which now has become a new trend again, is a part of celebrating common things. Thus, portrait could move beyond its own traditional role as a recorder of what has been known or a medium to underline memories of people. Arie turned portrait into something that makes common people as an integral part of fast-moving world.

Perhaps, nowadays ambition and desire that artist has in creating art works should be simpler, while at the same time still aims on big ideas about the world. Arie chose to state them in a simple and common way, among other choices to make it ambitious and pretentious, and he did it because he wanted to be honest with his own desire. And for me, being honest to one self is an all time essence in creating art works.