Art of Lives “Mereka Bukan Dewa (They Are Not Gods)” installation is firstly exhibited to the on Jalan Mangkubumi, Yogyakarta, on Monday (5/12). The exhibition which had officially been opened at Sheraton Mustika Hotel on 25 November 25 aimed at criticizing the practice of cigarette companies trying to dominate people’s mindset of the benefit of cigarette and the companies’ power. This open exhibition will be held for two weeks until 9 December 2016.
The art installation is a creative work to express social unrest. According to Eko Prasetyo, the Chairperson of Social Movement Institute, on a release received by the Office of Public Relations of UMY, said that the art installation or public art was conducted due to the concern of how malicious a cigarette can paralyze consciousness and damage people’s health. “From this point, we and some other artists initiated to launch a competition of the public art to take care of Jogja to be creative and healthful. The spirit was underlain by smoking habit that threatens people’s health, massive cigarette ads that subjugate people’s mind, and also the cigarette companies always campaigning as the patron of the tobacco farmer. The false propaganda is really dangerous and shows us how this nation is enslaved by provocation and fallacy,” he explained.
“Besides inviting young people to creatively think of refusing smoking habit campaign, this competition also aims at giving the true information of what really occurs. In fact, cigarette companies are not running with good intention, good means, and good objective,” he continued.
Eko asserted that the companies’ attempt to poison people’s conscious mind by saying that cigarette is a tradition, and the idea that tobacco farmers should be protected is misleading. “We are quite apprehensive about the government’s stance on this matter. They do not ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) yet. It is contrast to developed countries. That’s why we have a chance to express our clear and direct pleas through this competition. There were 20 ideas that took part when we opened the registration, then we selected 10 best works to be exhibited at the Ballroom of Sheraton Hotel on November 25 2016,” he claimed.
Various concepts and ideas were expressed into the works. One of them displayed a traditional cigarette rolling machine. In this installation, what rolls is not the tobacco but the farmer. To add more extreme impression, the one who rolls is a devil, as a symbol to the companies that gain profits from the farmers’ hard work. Most of the works have strong criticism towards the cigarette companies that keep grinding the farmers for their own interests. The sensational narration was also exhibited, and filled with raging criticism that the cigarette companies chew at the minds of artists, cultural observers, athletes, intellectuals, musicians, and the policy makers.
The first place winner of the Public Art Installation Competition was entitled “Duri Kematian” (The Thorn of Death)” by Totok. “Give Up” by Rian Sayurlodeh won the second place and “Warung Akhirat (The Hereafter Stall)” by Surya Madhalika finished in the third place.
The event conducted with the cooperation with the National Commission on Tobacco Control and Muhammadiyah Tobacco Control Center (MTCC) UMY aimed at encouraging cultural observers, artists, and creative workers to be critical and brave, as well as to independently voice their healthy and reasonable demands to the cigarette companies. Do not let the cliché thought that art works, events, and creative expressions can only live by the funding of cigarette companies. “We want the artists to show their position as creative, independent, and bold beings to express their pleas in a work of art. In this agenda, we also want people to enjoy public art installation that blows their mind, invite them to get involved in the process of raising people’s awareness of this matter, and encourage a movement to refuse cigarette companies expansion on public sphere. Indeed, cigarettes are a poison to wreck our future generation,” Eko emphasized.
Moreover, Eko also conveyed that the local government should limit the cigarette advertisements as it is proved to bring aftermaths such as raising the population of smokers and campaigning false propaganda that becomes a campaign material for all this time. “We always believe that there will be a social layer who cannot be deceived and manipulated by ads, campaigns, and fallacies by the cigarette companies. Through this competition, we want to build Jogja to be a city with its health and creative people without a support from the cigarette companies. We believe that the city without a smoke is the most livable city, is alive by knowledgeable activities and is certainly built by common sense. Surely, this event is going well with a very progressive cooperation,” he closed.
