Texte et photographies : Tiphaine Deraison
Indonesia has one of the oldest tattoo practices in the world. If the practice barely survi-ved in Borneo and Sumatra, among the Mentawai, Bali and Java there are no ancient traces left. Yet a few hundred kilometers away, this tradition is still alive in some ethnic groups. For a handful of Balinese and Javanese artists, the Indonesian tattoo is a global heritage to the archipelago. They are convinced that, if they can't dig up the evidence of the past, they are determined to reinvent a modern Indonesian tattoo.
A NEW WAVE
In Sumatra and Borneo the tattoo has survived wars, invasions of Muslim empires, mo-dernization and monotheistic religions. However, it remains a "tribal" heritage that few Indonesian tattoo artists have decided to dig. Unknown he is, according to the tattoo artist Ade Itameda, in the imagination of many Indonesians. They also believe it's mainly imported from the west : « I met people and kids who only know tattoo through TV and Miami Ink shows. I also met people and said : « you know we have tattoo tradition » and people were like “ no tattooing come from Europe » Bali, began its tourism growth in the 90s. Surfing is established there and tattooing, with the years, with the first stores in Denpasar, then Kuta, Amed and Ubud. Ink has become essential to mark one's skin with a souvenir of the island of the gods. Tourists come to ink a palm tree, an ohm or a sunset. Responding to demand, the shows are growing ... the practice too.
Tired of tattooing a popular but foreign imagery July Arthaya, Eka Sudarma Putra, Gracka, and the Sekala 369 team are eager to turn to what belongs to them, rediscovering, together or each in their own way, a folklore they are trying to raise. This Indonesian New Wave main purpose is to emancipate themselves and establish the Indonesian tattoo. They mix a wide range of traditional, ornamental or black and grey influences and each have very different styles but share the same will through multiple disciplines. In their own way, they are promoting a culture that they want to see survive in the face of established styles. For these Indonesian tattoo artists, rediscovering their roots allows them to create new designs from an almost forgotten heritage. In doing so, they question history and anthropology to uncover their heritage.
In the Umalas neighborhood of Canggu, Ade Itameda, a 35-year-old Javanese, is the owner of Sekala 369 with Eka Mardiys, Balinese artist and graphic designer. Both combine their talents to develop an Indonesian tattoo that brings together tradition and modernity and inspires a youth eager for creativity. Historically, the artistic heritage of Bali and Java is strongly linked. Not to mention the reputation of Bali and its folklore. Arts, dances and sculpture have for centuries dazzled the whole of Europe. A few millennia ago, the Indonesian Rajas reproduced Indian temples and wrote in a kind of Sanskrit. Then with the Ottoman empires, and the Islamization of Indonesia, the Indian influence shifted to the Arab world. With the Dutch colonization, it is then Europe which settles its rules. So many influences that, against all expectations, have lasted and marked Java's culture, in Bali.
Trained in Holland by Jeroen Franken (Seven Seas private atelier, Eindhoven) and Nico (25 to life tattoo), his mentors, in 2018, Ade returns to Indonesia to build his project: Sekala 369. With more than 8 years of tattooing behind him, he inks an ornamental style impregnated with Polynesian and oriental influences with the mastery of a thick and clean line. Already 15 years ago, he started his career, first body piercing before starting tattooing in Jakarta. "Until 5 years ago, tattooing was very taboo. If you are tattooed in mentalities, you are either a prostitute or a criminal. Getting a tattoo is considerable. It changes someone. "Even today, tattooed people are still not allowed to enter certain official functions or the army in Indonesia. "No parent is really happy with a child who gets a tattoo in Indonesia.
In Sekala, Ade Itameda is quickly joined by Eka Mardiys when a place becomes avai-lable. At the age of 27 and after studies in restoration and a collection of clothes that barely took off, Eka discovers ink and his universe, on Japanese cuffs. Self-taught graphic designer, his work is inspired by his rock'n'roll influences. He also designs posters for the rock club Gimme Shelter in Canggu and enjoys mixing his inked universe with graphic design. « I watched a lot of videos on Youtube and I was looking up to different artists, as Myke Chambers, a traditional american artist. »(@mykechambers, Seven Swords Tattoo Company). Eka redraws tigers, excerpts from mythology. « I like this idea of mixing and including indonesian culture into our style. It is more inspiration for me. Why not introducing our culture into tattooing in Indonesia ? It is our heritage » In November 2019, they both decided to set off on an adventure and create the "Tattoo Trade trip". The idea? To leave Bali and drive to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital on the island of Java. On the way, many encounters lead them to exchange with young people, artists or not. They create or tattoo in order to communicate and share their culture and heritage.
« Doing good tattoos with our own culture »
In Bali, tourists' choices are the popular one. Walk-in tattoo designs dominate more than custom. The challenge is to move from a popular and demand-driven tattoo to a custom tattoo, perhaps even representative of the local culture. For July Arthaya working at Bold and Bright Tattoo Parlor, the goal is to reintroduce their culture to their peers in first place and then foreigners.« How are you gonna preserve the culture if you can't actually repro-duce it ? Or watch it in any kind of art. » Moreover, Ade reintroduces Balinese ornaments and flora added to solid lines. More specifically, the Javanese tattoo artist has recently been working on reproducing charac-ters from the Javanese theater: the Wayang Kulit. “I recreate tattoo designs with different images and put a Balinese pattern on them. For me, with what I learned in tattooing, as long as there is depth, that the line is good, that there is enough space, it's a good tat-too. ”.
The shadow theater’s dolls characters, the Wayang Kulit, are from the island of Java, this theater of handcrafted puppets is registered in the Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008. There are several types of Wayang scattered over the many Indonesian islands.
This theater is accompanied by a complex musical orchestra, Indonesian drums, gongs, and singers. It is also a real show that one can choose to attend from either side of the curtain. The storyteller, named the Dalang, manipulates the Wayang dolls: the characters of the story in front of a curtain, the doll is created and cut out of leather and the Dalang move their arms with thin sticks. The stories borrow from indigenous myths, Indian epics and Persian tales. The show, which often tells only one episode of Indonesian tales and mythologies, then lasts an entire night for each episode of a single epic. They are very important in the lives of the Javanese and Balinese and in the tradition, they should not be missed.
Very detailed, the doll is precious and made with precision. All the details will take a month of work. The characters are multiple and have very expressive faces. Each one must be unique. They bring a real source of inspiration to Ade, whether he embellishes with Balinese patterns or others of his own invention. For the artist, it is impossible to reproduce all the details of these works of art in tattoo. It is necessary to adapt and simplify while keeping the main traditional characteristics. A playful theater that would also have an educational purpose from ancient times. It explains the difference between good and evil and how to behave in Indonesian society. At Bold and Bright Tattoo Parlor in the centre of Canggu in Bali, July Arthaya, is a trendy tattooer wearing sneakers and caps. He imagines and redraws dogs with fire manes, snakes or angry bird masks. All these animals are inspired by Indonesian mythology that he inks between two roses and traditional American classics in a Sailor Jerry's way. Tattooist for over 10 years, he developped his own personal style with a traditional me-dium line clean and punchy, with ochre tones and delicate shades, timeless. In 2017, his desire evolved.« I saw the old balinese painting, from Klungkung, the Kamasan paintings. I saw one artist, called : Gusti Nyoman Lempad, he blew my mind, and I thought, why not creating those balinese designs and twist it with western traditional style. Died in 1978, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, is a Balinese painter who built many palaces and temples in Ubud including the Saraswati Water temple. He produced hundreds of drawings of Balinese mythology and folklore from which Eka draws the very vivid expressions of his tigers. He always depicts them with bulging eyes and sharp teeth, features of Indonesian mythology identifiable. The mouths are marked and the eyes expressive. Generally speaking, the animals are personified. « Whatever you draw, even cats, or any animal, it always has a human nose, looking funny. It's a design that mixes animal and human body. »
Terrifying, these characters come from a world "from below" like the giant creature Rak-sasa. « We also have creatures from the upside down world, like in Stranger Things. Very dark creatures. We call it Buta Kala creatures, that lives in that upside down world. I found a lot of paintings telling stories about those creatures. In temples, in books, I 've seen a lot of those images, scary and long nose, long dreadlock hair, very hairy creatures. The images are so weird. » The colors in which they are depicted come in shades of brown, black, yellow and ochre, which are perfect for american traditional tattoo shades and blend perfectly with the designs imagined by July.
This Rerajahan or Rajahan mythology also has its script: a Sanskrit with spiritual powers derived from natural forces. Spiritual and protective, it is used as a talisman in everyday life. Inscribed on small fabrics, hung in temples and houses. «It's a sign to protect yourself – it is like a mantra. On home and every house, during celebrations in Bali, ceremony etc.» Rajahan in Bahasa (official and common language in Indonesia) would mean: "mark", "brand" or "scar". It would be close to Thai Sanskrit. "In ancestral times, you were tattooed without choosing a motif, without even seeing it, the culture had a lot of similarity with the Thai Sak Yant tattoo. Similarities that leave no doubt in Ade's mind for whom migration would have greatly in-fluenced the Javanese and Balinese heritage. The Barong, the famous Balinese mask, might not be Indonesian but imported from China. "Here, the houses of Bali are influenced to more than 50% by Chinese architecture and Chinese communities who came here for trade. "If Indonesia has not yet completely unearthed the history, ancestral, of its practice of tattooing is that it is multiple. It borrows and mixes with many other folklores and cultures that have crossed and invaded it, especially because of the famous spice route. The Barong, the famous Balinese mask, might not be Indonesian but imported from China. “Bali houses are more than 50% influenced by chinese who came here for market and trade”. If Indonesia has not yet been able to unearth its own ancestral culture it is because it is multiple and borrows from the many other folklore that have crossed and invaded it during History, especially with the “Spice Route”. The Barong, is one of the best known figures of Balinese mythology. She represents the forces of good, whose enemy is Rangda, the demon queen. Depicted with long white hair, exorbitant yellow eyes, large teeth and a long hanging tongue, she is the demon queen of the Leyaks of Bali. Rangda eats children and leads an army of evil witches. The expressive faces are carved on wooden masks, the most worked and decorated are used in a dance that represents the struggle of good against evil. A battle whose origin is uncertain but which is said to have originated from animist cults where the protective animals were worshipped, in prior to the arrival of Hinduism on the island. « In Bali, we believe that you have two persons in you, you and your Barong. You're living on earth and your Barong, the other one lives in a different world. It's balinese but I believe it comes from china as well. » The Hindu culture in Bali is unique and specific to the island. Cultures and traditions in Indonesia are strongly intertwined. So drawing certain demons and characters is not always well seen. People think that putting those motifs on your skin can be bad luck. »
A unique culture in Bali
The Hindu culture in Bali is very unique and specific to the island. Cultures and traditions in Indonesia are strongly intertwined. So drawing certain demons and characters is not always well seen. "People think that putting these patterns on your skin will bring bad luck. "Ade goes on to say that as a child, his grand-mother even warned him..." When I was a child, I wanted to redesign the Barong but my grand-mother said "no". She warned me that it is even too sacred to be drawn. When I asked her why, she told me that it's because it could be positive or negative and that we didn't know that at all. And I said, what if I try to be positive by doing this drawing? She said that then I had the right to do it. » Gods sometimes have the same names but have different manifestations, descriptions or attributes. This makes Balinese patterns, atypical patterns. A mythology that they learn from an early age at school. « In Bali there are 3 important things : human to nature, human to god, human to human, 3 things you have to be connected with. And I try to not be spiritual when I'm tattooing. I'm not trying to make a sacred ornamental or so, but I know here it can be spiritual and those days when I tattoo someone, I take my time to talk to them, and share with them about what they're gonna have. The meaning it's up to my customer but at least they know what they're gonna get. I'm not only tattooing anymore, I'm also sharing my heritage. », told Ade. Motives coming from their heritage, still little known, which should be respected. Ade, who has tattooed in the Netherlands and all over Europe and who has been involved in the world's greatest conventions, nevertheless deplores their reappropriation. Finally, this makes Balinese patterns, atypical patterns. A mythology that they learn from an early age at school. « Certain things have to be a certain way. Like a Barong mask doesn't have long teeth and long tong. Sometimes I see some with those drawn so-mewhere else in the world. But it shows evil and it's not and cannot be Barong. » Part. 2 upcoming Informations : Sekala 369 @ekamardiys @adeitameda Bali/Indonésie Bold and Bright Tattoo Parlor @julyarthaya
