Lindu, an artist’s artist, fits and breaks all the standard molds of who an artist is and what he does. When we first met four years ago, he was living alone. After a couple of failed attempts at morning visits to see him, we learned to wait until mid-afternoon to show up at his shop/workshop/house/studio. If we arrived earlier, he would be asleep, or so blurry-eyed from working all night on his creations that he was completely worthless.
DAVID ALAN COLLECTION |
Summer 2009 |
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His workers were busy by 9AM, but there was never a sign of “the man” until much later. In the hot Javanese afternoons, he was invariably shirtless, lean, and overflowing with jokes, good humor, and playfulness, very much like the sculptures he makes. My friend and guide, Dek, dubbed him “the funny man”, when I couldn’t keep everyone’s names straight during our trips to Java.
I found Lindu’s art so irresistible that during my first meeting with him I asked him to plan for an exhibition in America. He refused to take me seriously. During each subsequent trip to Java I would ask him again to prepare for a show.
Over time, he learned to say “Yes”, and proceed to give reasons why he could not exhibit that year. On our fourth trip to Java, Dek and I were shocked to find him two months married. His new wife was sweet, bright, and utterly exasperated. She got more (or less) than she bargained for. “He always comes so late to bed at night, and won’t get up in the morning. He only works and sleeps.”, his bride told us.
Although on its surface this newsletter may appear to be mostly about our two major shows, “Shipwrecks: History and Mystery” and “Lindu: The Artist and the Man”, and their openings July 30th, it’s really about the courage and creativity of man. The artifacts and stories in the “Shipwrecks” show present some mysteries of the past, and bring to light the courage and motivations of those seafaring traders. “Lindu” is a compelling show, which reveals through his work, one man’s quest to create beauty and joy, independent of life’s circumstances. Both shows will intrigue and delight. The opening party is July 30th from 6 to 9PM. Please join us for a memorable evening of fine fellowship, taste treats, great wine, and live music.
Also please visit my new blog at www.thedavidalancollection/dacman. If you enjoyed reading these newsletters, then the blog will be your feast! We spent hundreds of hours preparing for the “unveiling”. While the blog is casual and fun, there is nothing casual about my wish for it to be utterly inspiring. The content of the blog increases twice a week, as we add new stories, news, and photos. I promise to share with you what I have seen, heard, thought about, and discovered, in the most honest and thoughtful way I know how. Please visit me there, leave your thoughts and comments, and share my blog with friends.
We also just released a stunning new website, which makes available a quantum leap in the amount and quality of information, photos, writings, and other features. It’s easy to browse, and fun to send on to friends and family who might enjoy the beauty and spirit of David Alan Collection. We live in extraordinary times, faced with huge problems, choices, and opportunities. As I re-examine my life and values, as well as those of my family, friends, community, nation, and the Earth, I find I’m excited about the future. We are building a future in which beauty, natural and created, is part of everyday life, inspires, and informs our lives and actions. My wife and I are developing educational projects bringing dignity and choice to those who have been passed by. It all happens one day at a time.
I promise to offer beauty to you in a thousand forms, through David Alan Collection, the blog, our website, and any other way I can think to do so. I will continue to write, though it is often difficult and never good enough. Through my writing, I hope you will laugh, dream fresh dreams, and see the world with wonder, if only for that moment. Thank you all for your good wishes, support, and enjoyment of what so many people associated with David Alan devote their lives to creating, and thank you for all you do to make this a great place to live, work, and aspire.
With love,
For decades I have been seeking, collecting, and inspired by folk art. Lindu, a Javanese artist and collector from Jogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, is the creator of all the work in this show: “Lindu, Funny Man and Folk Artist.” I believe he is one of the best folk art artists currently producing. He unknowingly follows a tradition of finding the joy of pure expression through art. Folk art, by its very nature, is an unselfconscious, pure, and genuine human expression. It is at its root, naive.
It isn’t made to please anyone else. It isn’t made to sell. It isn’t political, ideological, or intellectual. It isn’t made for museum or collector. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t try to be. It simply is, without explanation. It’s direct. It’s human. It’s unpretentious and very, very real. It is usually fun, humorous, or insightful. That’s why I love it. That’s why I honor it. That’s why I want to share it with you. Please come to the opening reception July 30th from 6 to 9 and experience the Funny Man.
The spice trade between the islands of Indonesia and the Middle East existed for thousands of years. The captains of the wrecked ships, from which the amazing artifacts in this show come, were doubtless trading in valuable spices and Chinese ceramics. This David Alan Collection exhibition, opening July 30th, showcases a wide range of actual Chinese shipwreck pottery, along with an 8' long, 250 year old anchor and its chain, shipwreck boat parts, brass ship navigational instruments from Europe and America, seashell-encrusted sabers and swords, Borneo river-wreck salvage from 400 years ago, mercury storage jars from the 12th century, and a host of other shipwrecked items. There are at least 130 pieces in all, dating from the 10th to the early 20th century.
Please do visit this show, and let your imagination run wild. Many of our customers say, “It’s better than a museum.” Come see for yourself: touch, feel, wonder, and perhaps, capture a piece, as this world of shipwrecks captured me.
Shipwrecks - The Romance
In the past few decades, many centuries-old shipwrecks have been discovered. One of the great trade routes of the world was through the South China Sea. The Chinese have long been known as courageous traders who took the risks that made it possible for Indonesian villagers to have high-fired, long-lasting pottery, and Persians and Europeans to have those highly valued spices, cloves, cumin, allspice, and nutmeg. Risks mean some failures. A shipwreck is the evidence of a failure, a failure of mission, and often, failure to survive. In America and Europe, the evidence and artifacts of ancient shipwrecks are rare. Early in my career as trader in the Far East, I became excited by the availability of shipwreck artifacts -particularly Chinese pottery. It seems pottery and rare spices, and later tea and coffee, were the motivation as well as the currency of trade for many centuries. next |
Those traders are my metaphorical forefathers. Having tangible evidence in my hands of what they were trading 400 years ago is exciting, and an inspiring source of connection. My wonder at their exploits and mishaps only grew over the years. A few months ago, I realized it is time to share the shipwreck world of the South China Sea and the rivers of Borneo with you. To own, use daily, and appreciate pieces from this far-off time and place, brings joy and wonder to my everyday world. I spend much of my life now near the places where these discoveries were made. This makes these pieces shockingly affordable. Why not a 16th C. celadon ice cream or camellia bowl?
The link between this show “Shipwrecks” and the article about “Traders” in the January ’09 newsletter (see www.thedavidalancollection.com) is coincidental, though not surprising. Much of my passion lies in discovering and making available today, the wonders of the past. This passion infuses well with the romantic trader myth described in our earlier article, and the harsh realities of a trader’s life. The balance of romance, myth, and reality brings a curious influence to this wonder-filled show. We may never find the real answers, but we can try to imagine life in that exciting world of fortune and misfortune. |
It wasn’t a complaint, more a worry about how life would turn out living with this happy, madman-artist. The next time in Java, Jakfar, Justin, and I found Lindu still shirtless, but not so lean. Regular meals and more sleep were taking their toll. He was almost finished building a house for his beloved on the back of their property.
This was a house architects James Hubbell or Anton Gaudi might have built, had they lived in Java. Stunningly beautiful, rich in texture and materials, the house is playful throughout and full of surprises, humor, and beauty. The house was his first acceptable (to me) excuse for not preparing for “my” exhibition. If I ever build another house in Bali, I want to include this madman in the design process. We joked, laughed, ate treats his wife prepared, and played ping-pong for hours on a sheet of plywood under a single light bulb, until we were all dripping with sweat, and ready for dinner.
It is rewarding and inspiring to see a great artist change often and in wonderful new directions. Lindu’s soul-stretching, life-giving art continues to evolve. As we walked through his gallery, choosing pieces for his show, each work evoked laughter, delight, and chills, as we discovered art from the soul of a great man. Before this trip, I considered him one of a small handful of highly talented, living, producing, folk artists. Now his work had risen to a new level of purity and simplicity. Here is a man, carving out a life of full self-expression in an atmosphere of beauty and joy, in a world that tends not to recognize such accomplishments. A renaissance man in a backwater village in Central Java, he is staying true to his calling. When I expressed my appreciation and gratitude to him, he laughed and replied: “For what?”
Lindu is now in his mid-thirties. What a gift to have found him, and be able to share him with you through his creations. I look forward to enjoying decades of his evolving art and wonderful spirit.
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