Five Findings of LBH Jakarta Regarding the Banning of Yos Suprapto's Solo Exhibition

December 22, 2024 | 10:00 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Gallery of Indonesia canceled the solo exhibition of senior Yogyakarta artist, Yos Suprapto, entitled "Kebangkitan: Tanah Untuk Kedaulatan Pangan" (Revival: Land for Food Sovereignty) in Building A of the National Gallery a few minutes before the opening, on Thursday night, December 19, 2024.

In fact, many people had come to see Yos's work in the exhibition which was planned to run from December 20, 2024 to January 19, 2025.

The reason for the cancellation of this exhibition, according to Yos Suprapto, was because the curator appointed by the National Gallery, Suwarno Wisetrotomo, asked for five of his 30 paintings to be taken down, but he refused. The five paintings were related to a figure in Indonesia. According to Yos, if the five paintings were taken down, then he would cancel the exhibition as a whole and take all his paintings back to Yogyakarta.

"I don't want to deal with the National Gallery and the Ministry of Culture anymore," Yos said in his statement.

Meanwhile, according to Suwarno, there are two works that describe the artist's opinion on the practice of power. He told Yos that the works were not in line with the curatorial theme and had the potential to disrupt the focus on the strong and good message of the exhibition theme.

"The two works 'sound' like mere curses, too vulgar that they lose their metaphor, which is one of the strengths of art in conveying its perspective," said Suwarno.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) responded to the banning through five findings. Representing LBH Jakarta, LBH Jakarta Public Lawyer, Alif Fauzi Nurwidiastomo, revealed the findings.

Alif said that the first finding was the request to remove 5 works of art and the postponement of Yos Suprapto's solo exhibition, which was a form of repression of artistic expression in enjoying the right to freedom of expression as an individual and citizen.

"Having an opinion and expressing oneself is a human right for every person which is guaranteed in Article 28E paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution, Article 28E paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution, Article 23 paragraph (2) of Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights. Then, in the international human rights instrument, there was a violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as ratified by Indonesia through Law Number 12 of 2005 concerning Ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," said Alif, on September 21, 2024, as quoted by the Jakarta Legal Aid YouTube channel.

Alif explained that the second finding was that Yos' artwork was not a form of expression that could be restricted according to international human rights instruments, but rather a legitimate form of expression.

"The National Gallery did not provide any rational reasons regarding the prohibition and postponement of the exhibition. We did not find any violations related to internal regulations at the National Gallery of Indonesia. In international human rights law, freedom of expression can indeed be limited as regulated in Article 19 paragraph (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, there are limitations according to the Siracusa Principles," he said.

The third finding is that there was a human rights violation with Yos as the victim. The banning of Yos' exhibition has involved government structures up to the ministerial level, namely the Ministry of Culture. For example, the Deputy Minister of Culture seemed resistant to the exhibition and considered one of the works in the painting to be a form of immoral action interpreted as a national figure.

"The government should use its positive rights to guarantee the continuation of Yos Suprapto's solo exhibition," said Alif.

Furthermore, Alfi revealed the fourth finding, namely that the banning of Yos' work is an act contrary to democracy. In a democratic country, criticism through any means, including art, is legitimate. Moreover, Yos' artwork is a form of criticism based on scientific research of the factual conditions of agricultural culture in several parts of Indonesia.

The fifth finding is that the postponement of this exhibition caused direct material losses suffered by Yos Suprapto as an artist. Alif said Yos has the right to effective recovery as a victim of human rights violations and to demand compensation from the government that contributed to the ban.

Iwan Kurniawan contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor’s Choice: Jakarta Exhibition Canceled in Last Minute, Senior Artist Yos Suprapto: It's Censorship

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