ENG Cutting Paper, Stringing It Into a Piece Of
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CUTTING PAPER, STRINGING IT INTO A Piece Of Art By : Si Luh Ayu Pawitri Translated by : Sherrene Chua hat evening, before sunset on the 25th November 2020, I met Nova Kusuma at Taman T Baca Kesiman, Denpasar. Our conversation finally happened in between his hectic schedule afer his exhibition Arisan Day Out at Plataran Canggu. That afernoon he interrupted the long awaited conversation with a sentence that goes something like this, "If I didn’t work on collages and become who I am now, maybe I would still be working in a hotel and have no idea about places like Taman Baca Kesiman, Paw" he said to me with a laugh. Nova was the first collage arist that I got to that zines born from punk culure also used know. His natural friendliness to everyone made collage techniques in all of their publications. him very approachable. Besides being friendly, Collages become something he could find he is also very explorative. Full of imagination, he everywhere. is always very enthusiastic when conveying his crazy ideas, at least that is my impression when Besides that, his first exhibition was held during we are chating together. the Markipat Denpasar Kolekif event. At that time Nova began to be more known in the In 2015, Nova had the chance to atend collage scene, and many people were surprised Komunitas Pojok’s exhibition. When he was by what Nova was doing, because the visuals busy playing the cassete, he saw someone that Nova presented were unique and unusual - cuting paper and creating a new visual work. sticking large lips on the forehead of the object Later he recognized the figure as a collage that he responded to for example. arist. His nickname is Billy Anjing, and Nova was even more surprised when he found out that While working, Nova began to realize that Billy was the collage arist who made the album collage is his home. He feels more comforable cover for the band Homicide. and more confident when working with paper, scissors and cuters. The works that he Meetings between him and Billy happened produced made him love collage. To this day, he repeatedly, their second meeting occurred has been working on collage ar for about 5 when Nova was at an ar event in the Sakenan years. area, Denpasar. With an abandoned restaurant as a backdrop, many ar activities were held, Even though Nova is active and par of a such as murals and music. It was during that hip-hop music group, he is more interested in year, 2015, that Nova decided to pursue collage than grafiti, which is usually associated collage. His first experiments making arworks with hip-hop culure. Regarding this, Nova had began with using materials at home, including another answer. According to him, hip-hop is a using a kitchen knife and a razor blade lined mix of culures. In fact, hip-hop embodies the with duct tape. many ways of making ar, not limited to just one way of working. For him, daily activities like Nova's work is influenced a lot by the ar cooking have collage in them. Existing collectives he meets, one of which is the ingredients are arranged in a way so that they Denpasar Collective (Denkol). Denkol has quite become dishes that form new visuals. Collage a big influence on Nova's work, he began to see is par of our daily life. Pak Wira’s Store on Jalan Kedondong, (writer’s documentation) Nova is always enthusiastic when he talks but Nova's exploration of diferent forms and about his works and aristic process. He does media could become the hallmark of his not want to be discouraged by his work, works. because every work he created makes him happy and that is enough for him. Regarding this restlessness, he also recalls his Neverheless, Nova does sometimes get conversation with a writer named Juli restless while undergoing the work process. Sastrawan. Nova said that the two of them ofen exchanged ideas, until one point where Right at the beginning of 2020 he began to Juli disturbed his thoughts by saying that there think about the randomness of his work was nothing new in this world, and that all the because there was no specific character that ars in the world are just a form of repetition. he tried to highlight. When I asked about his Nova was quite influenced by this thought, he concern, he seemed to immediately convince also said that the process of creation actually himsel that what he was doing was par of stared during the renaissance the journey itsel (character searching). (enlightenment) period; the rest of the works Because he is constantly producing works, are just a form of repetition and modification Nova may think that he does not have a of what has been created. special character or characteristic in his works, hat evening, before sunset on the 25th November 2020, I met Nova Kusuma at Taman Baca Kesiman, Denpasar. Our conversation finally happened in between his hectic schedule afer his exhibition Arisan Day Out at Plataran Canggu. That afernoon he interrupted the long awaited conversation with a sentence that goes something like this, "If I didn’t work on collages and become who I am now, maybe I would still be working in a hotel and have no idea about places like Taman Baca Kesiman, Paw" he said to me with a laugh. Even though ar is a form of repetition, Nova Bali is famous for its rich ars scene, including ofen improvises by exploring and combining fine ar, perorming ars, music and so on. Fine the inspiration he gets from his friends. In ars in Bali developed rapidly through the addition, he also explores magazines as his presence of famous painters and sculptors in ammunition for creating works. The magazines Bali. Fine ar is something that will never die and he collects are mostly used magazines, he only continue to grow in Bali.¹ even is a regular at an old magazine kiosk at Jalan Kedondong, Denpasar. The store is called The ar ecosystem in Bali is more or less Kios Wira Kesuma, which sells various types of influenced by the traditions and culure of the magazines, books and stationery. It was not people who are close to ar, for example uncommon for Nova to find hidden treasures through handicrafs made as oferings in there, providing him with ammunition for his religious ceremonies. Alhough painting and arworks. Nova also buil a good relationship sculpture have received more atention in with the store owner, Pak Wira, and every time society, the culure and ecosystem of ar in Bali he visits, Pak Wira knows what Nova is looking has expanded into a new spectrum among for. Pak Wira also shared a litle about Nova to Balinese youth. The spread of ar among me. "For Nova, he usually looks for ars maga- Balinese youths has made one of fine ars - zine, that’s where his passion lies," he said. collage - one of the things that enriches the ars ecosystem in Bali today. Collage Arist in Bali’s Fine Ars Ecosystem Personally, my first introduction to collage ar Nova Kusuma is a young man born in Denpas- was when I got to know Nova in 2019. This was ar, Bali. Growing up and living in Denpasar also a moment where I got the chance to enjoy made him grow into a known collage arist. collage ar in Bali - having previously only With tourism being so popular in Bali, Nova known about ar that is more commonly actually studied tourism at the Tourism College displayed in public such as paintings. When I (STP), Nusa Dua. It never occurred to him to first met Nova Kusuma in 2019, he was running dwell more on ar work that he is currently a workshop and initiating a collage tour with doing. He has produced many works in the the community that he is familiar with, the resul form of collages and music. He also has other of which will then be displayed on World current activities such as working in a tatoo Collage Day. studio in Canggu. 1 htps://balitribune.co.id/content/bali-megarupa-membaca-peta-baru-seni-rupa-bali Tracing the History of Collage Art The existence of collage as an art form has actually developed quite progressively. This Looking back into history, the emergence of development emerged from the spirit of collage collage art can be traced back to the th that is friendly to the community; art that is century in Venice, Italy. The emergence of cheap and can be done by anyone. In addition, collage as an art form dates back to the collage art is inclusive because it does not have Synthetic Cubism period by artists Pablo such specific rules for people who want to Picasso and Georges Braque, in 1912-1914. create a collage, plus the tools and materials Collage also appeared during the period of used are everyday items such as magazines, Dadaism in 1916-1923. Collage is a form of fine newspapers, dry leaves, grain or other objects art which involves combining artistic that can be stuck onto the artwork’s surface. compositions from various materials (found objects), such as paper, magazines, cloth, Collage As Daily Life And an Alternative glass, metal, wood, and other objects which are then affixed to an image surface. As a collage artist, Nova Kusuma also departed from this passion. He said his enthusiasm Collage art has actually been present in working with the collage medium grew Indonesia through the daily lives of its people.