LIVING ON THE EDGE
In May 1998 President Suharto fell from grace after thirty-two years in power. Earlier in Jakarta four students had been gunned down during anti-government protests that turned the Indonesian capital into a war zone. The events that followed became a sequence of nightmarish violence directed against the Chinese communities and which spread like an epidemic throughout the nation. Fear, xenophobia and religious hatred filled television, radio and Internet news broadcasts about Indonesia. In September 1999 Indonesia faced world condemnation after the slaughter of pro-independence civilians in East Timor, while President B. J. Habibie's government became embroiled in the Bank Bali scandal, which involved some of his close advisors. Coming all at once, the humanitarian and financial crises threatened to further suffocate Indonesia's fragile transition to democracy and her recovery from economic disaster. I,n June 2000 President Wahid declared a state of emergency on the Maluku Islands as fighting between Muslims and Christians caused more than 4,000 deaths and displaced some 500,000 inhabitants.

Living on the edge of terror seems to be part of everyday life for many Indonesians. The legacy of police violence of the Suharto era lives on in the streets in an upsurge of brutal vigilante attacks. Reports of street violence show that the law of the jungle prevails. The new face of Indonesian justice, vigilante style, has resulted in mob beatings and lynchings. In some frightening cases vendors poured kerosene over their victims and set them alight. Mob violence does not necessarily stem from the activities of organised paramilitary groups; some incidents may trigger spontaneous, unpredictable and unforeseen actions in large groups. And when people take the law into their own hands in this way, it is because fear and frenzy are ingrained in their psyche.

Arguably these are some ofthe negative facets of Indonesia that have recently come to international attention. There are, however, many attractive images of Indonesia which should not be overlooked, namely the strong cultural heritage of the ancient Majapahit empire; the deep religious faith of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism; rich natural resources; and stunning, world-famous holiday destinations, such as exotic Bali and Lombok. These positive elements tend to be overshadowed when the government's reputation is tarnished by allegations of inefficiency, cronyism and corruption. Ethnic violence, religious fanaticism, arbitrary brutality and natural disasters, such as forest fires and destructive EI Nino effects, have also resulted in a poor international image. Indonesia's national motto "Unity in Diversity", widely promoted during the New Order era, has become a contradiction, especially when trouble spots such as Aceh, TImor and Papua are on the verge of disintegration.

WAR, ART AND PEACE
In retrospect the last century witnessed all kinds of catastrophes, mayhem and massacres resulting from despotism, tyranny, fanaticism and dictatorship. The World Wars, civil wars and violence in the name of nationalism and aggrandisement caused widespread terror and bloodshed. Random violence in South Africa, Yugoslavia, Chechnya and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, Kosovo, Burundi and Rwanda shocked the world. In Asia, colonialism, pro-independence fighting and wars in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Pakistan brought much destruction and suffering to these countries and their people.

Artists have been sensitive to many kinds of catastrophes and crises. Their idea of art and peace is not always expressed in psychedelic 'flower power' campaigns or images of 'make love not war'. Artists have created many kinds of different works that signify protest and dissent. For them to appreciate beauty they must first know ugliness. To be able to put across the meaning of peace many artists have analysed experiences of terror and trauma. Human atrocities, genocide and massacres frequently receive media attention, which in turn often results in accusing fingers being pointed at tyrants and dictator governments. The struggle for human rights in the face of wars and violence has often aroused the emotions of writers, poets, dancers, choreographers, artists and film directors. The subjects of violence and peace can be seen in artworks throughout various historical periods. How do artists react to these themes? To what extent are these messages conveyed to the audience through the work? How do violent and catastrophic events allow us to pause and think about art in relation to world peace? Samples of art against vyar are evident in works such as John Heartfield's Adolf, the Superman: Swallows Gold and Spouts Junk (1932); Otto Dix's The Seven Deadly Sins (1933); Salvador Dali's Premonition of Civil War (1936); Pablo Picasso's Guernica (1937); Hans Grunig's Victims of Fascism (1946); Peter Howson's Croatian and Muslim (1994); and Thomas Hirschorn's United Nations Miniature (2000).

Student protests against the Vietnam War in 1960s America were immortalised as political images in silk-screen prints by Andy Warhol. Woodstock became the historic rock concert that renounced war and violence. Revolution, the song by the Beatles, was about saving the world. John Lennon's lyrics in Imagine yearned for people living in harmony. However, angels sometimes turned into devils, and violence was often carried out in the name of peace, which in turn became the excuse for do-gooders and peacekeepers. Propaganda campaigns for peace by the Americans under presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon later turned into shameful acts at home and abroad. American bombings and the vicious use of chemical weapons in Vietnam and Cambodia were as atrocious as the genocide and systematic killings carried out by the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge.

Art has been used to document such events. Museums, for example, are places that retrieve and reconstruct memories. They evoke feelings of pacifism as well as patriotism and aggression. The War Crimes Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Army Museum in Hanoi, for example, display the diabolical cruelties of the Vietnam War. Photo documents, war objects, memorabilia, maps and weapons are designed to arouse patriotic sentiments in the Vietnamese viewers. Anti-American sentiment is very much in evidence. Such resentment is demonstrated by gruesome photographs of victims of acid rain and napalm bombs. In contrast, at Toul Sleng Museum in Phnom Penh, horrors of war, genocide and torture are displayed to arouse feelings of depression and horror. The harrowing black-and-white portraits conjure up images of humanity at its worst. Paintings reveal processes of torture and genocide. The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek evoke the experience of monumental death. More than 8,000 skulls are stacked to create the memorial stupa.

ARTISTS AGAINST VIOLENCE
Made Wianta's art project, Art and Peace Performance, took place in Bali from 9th to 10th December 1999, at the time when the meaning of shanti, or peace, was desperately hard for Indonesians to define. This art project turned out to be a major community effort among the Balinese. To put the Art and Peace project into perspective, it is valid to compare it with other Indonesian artworks created during this turbulent period. By tracing political events during 1998-2000 and discussing samples of contemporary Indonesian art in relation to Made Wianta's Art and Peace Performance, we can appreciate how recent artworks have raised an awareness of pacifism at a time of disruption, hatred and rage.

As an outsider following the political events unfold in Indonesia, the experience for me resembles watching a modern version of the Indonesian shadow puppet theatre, wayang kulit, except that the characters are real people. During the period 1998-2000, I made four visits to Indonesia and one visit to her neighbouring country Australia for various art projects. Like the stage sets of a play, the background to each visit changed according to the players and events.

In July 1998 tension in Jakarta was extremely high. Suharto's lingering presence was clearly felt even though power has been passed to his successor President Habibie. FX Harsono, an activist artist, described some horrific scenes of burning, lynching and looting as he took me around various trouble spots in Jakarta. Reports revealed that numerous Chinese women had been gang raped and burned. In fear many women turned to chastity belts and the occult for protection. In Yogyakarta installation and performance artist Dadang Christanto and art historian Dwi Marianto told disturbing news about the violence and burning that went on in Java. On the Jalan Malioboro people displayed banners calling for democracy and posters of the late president Sukarno. At that time, as art commissioner for the Asian section of the 24th Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil, I selected Dadang Christanto's Mereka Memberi Kesaksian or They Give Evidence (1996-97) from among the Asian artworks for its treatment of the theme of anthropophagy. Cannibalism in Christanto's sculptures is a metaphor for the victims of violence, who stand mindless like hungry ghosts; they display shreds of clothing as evidence of countless people who have disappeared, testifying to the systematic use of violence by the authority. Christanto's provocative work is renowned both at home and abroad. The strong message in his art remains the same although he has converted from Catholicism to Islam. As the situation deteriorated Christanto and his family eventually moved to Northern Territory, Australia.

In August 1999 I was invited to participate in a symposium of contemporary Indonesian art at the Tempo headquarters near Jakarta. During two days of intense debate on art in the post-Suharto period I learned from the participants about dissident artworks produced during this critical period. I was also informed about preparations for the travelling exhibition Awas! Recent Art from Indonesia, featuring works by artists such as Arahmaiani, Eddie Hara, Hanura Hosea, Agung Kurniawan, Heri Dono, Tisna Sanjaya and Apotik Komik. Notably, the subjects in this exhibition relate to social discordance and political disruption and are executed through the medium of neo-expressionist, performance and installation art. It was at this symposium that Made Wianta's name was mentioned in relation to the Art and Peace project. I was curious about this public art event with its helicopters and dancers that was going to take place at Padang Galak in Bali.

In September 1999, at the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, Australia, it was hard to avoid the political overtones expressed by Indonesian artists. In many ways these artists captured the political tension at a time when Australian-Indonesian bilateral relations were at a critical stage. At that time the East Timor crisis was at its peak. Campaigns of destruction and explosions of violence resulted in the massacre of pro-independence Timorese by pro-integration militia. Australian troops were preparing to lead the peacekeeping forces into East Timor. Indonesian nationalism ran high as Australians were seen as intruders who were not going in as peacemakers but as soldiers waging war. Several Indonesian works in the Triennial reflected the difficult socio-political situation. Dadang Christanto's performance dramatised recent traumatic events in Java by splashing kerosene and setting fire to numerous clay figures. It was both gruesome and moving. Moelyono's sculpture of a broken car turned upside down with the word 'cina!' sprayed across it evoked scenes of violence and ethnic hatred directed against the Chinese community. In Transmission Heri Dono created scary images of shadow puppet theatre and video and improvised music that conjured up a frightening and macabre atmosphere. Tisna Sanjaya's Thirty-two Years of Thinking with the Knee (1999) is a satire and critique on Habibie's worship of and servile behaviour towards Suharto. These works were a response to recent troubled incidents in Indonesia that were daringly exposed through artworks that otherwise would have been banned or prohibited.
In December 19991 was invited to participate in the Art and Peace symposium in Bali. Surprisingly, speakers and audience spoke openly on socio-political and religious issues in order to find ways and means of stemming the tide of disruption and chaos in Indonesia. The Hindu Balinese viewpoints raised at the gathering held firmly to the roots of ahimsa (anti-violence), advesta sarva butam (not harming living creatures) and tat twam asi (treating one another as equals). The Hindu philosophy of living in harmony and balance with the surrounding natural environment was reiterated as a way to heal wounds and keep the fragile seams of Indonesian society from bursting. This was evident in Made Wianta's Art and Peace project, where public art practice overlapped with cultural activities and community participation. On this occasion JJpeace art" became catalytic, as it aroused the consciousness and awareness of participants and audience concerning the word JJpeace", which at that time was frequently spoken in the same breath as JJviolence".

In August 2000 I returned to Indonesia as curator for Heri Dono's solo exhibition in Tokyo. The political climate in Indonesia was less intense than before, but still far from cool. President Wahid was harshly criticised for the government's inability to solve critical problems in the Maluku Islands and improve Indonesia's financial crisis. At Dono's studio I viewed installations Fermentation of the Mind (1994), Ceremony of the Soul (1995) and Political Clowns (1998). I felt the sense of satire and humour embedded in these works, which critique the authority and its abuse of power. In Interrogation (1998) Dono's message is most direct as tormented victims on video screens are brutally abused at gunpoint. In contrast to Dono's provocative pieces Made Wianta prefers not to include images of trauma and angst in his work. Instead his paintings are formalist and lyrical and emphasise aesthetic values. While Dono pleads for peace through cryptic images evoking the imbalance between the oppressor and the oppressed, Wianta's concern with beauty remains a priority even in his works that show concern for social issues.

ART AND PEACE PERFORMANCE
The atmosphere at Padang Galak beach in the late afternoon of 10th December 1999 was charged with anticipation as vehicles and crowds of Balinese, overseas tourists and other Indonesian visitors headed to witness the mass event. Excitement and camaraderie ran high as they gathered in an enormous crowd of thousands. The mood was electrifying. It was as if enthusiastic fans and spectators were preparing to enjoy a free concert given by some rock group or superstar. But there was more to it than that: the mayor, other dignitaries and artists were also present as special guests at this memorable event for peace. The outstanding figure in the crowd was Ibu Gedong Bagoes aka, leader of the Ashram Gandhi Vidyapith, an organisation dedicated to promoting the Gandhian ideals of truth, non-violence, peace, universal brotherhood and humanitarian service.

The spectators waited patiently, looking out from the black, sandy beach towards the thundering waves of the Indian Ocean. More people came in human waves, this time accompanied by chanting, music and dance. Participants of the Padha Yatra spiritual walk arrived after their seven kilometre trek from the Ashram Gandhi Vidyapith. At the same time 2,000 students clad in white began their rhythmic dance along the black beach. The build up to the spectacle was such that when two

helicopters appeared on the horizon the crowds reacted as if they had seen miraculous symbols in the sky. Like messengers of peace the helicopters headed for the beach; but there was no long banner of peace trailing from the helicopters as expected. Instead a rolled-up bundle of cloth was dropped into the ocean and collected by a speedboat. Countless assistants unrolled the 2,000 metre long white banner, revealing poems, scrolls and paintings related to the theme of peace. The messages in numerous languages were written in black on the pure white cloth, which seemed to stretch endlessly on the beach. The crowds cheered with joy as the dancers continued to perform with the white banner of peace. Made Wianta, who descended from the helicopter, informed interviewers that sudden changes to the programme were necessary, as fierce winds had blown and torn the trailing banner from the helicopter. There was a danger that the flowing cloth might get entangled with the propellers. So it had to be abandoned in mid-air. As the remaining parts of the banner were displayed along the beach, devotees chanted "Hari Krisna" and commenced the prayer of peace. The Agni Horta, the ritual of fire, took place with offerings to the deities. Nearby Ibu Gedong Bagoes aka delivered a speech that called for peace and harmony. The evening ended as a shower of rain symbolically cleansed the crowds.

In the end the spectacle went almost according to plan. The public art event managed to bring together many sectors of Balinese society to witness Made Wianta's artistic endeavour for peace. This event was a collaboration between sponsors, local government and religious groups. Such a community effort was due to Wianta's commitment as a local artist determined to create an art event that expressed the desire for peace. As a plea for non-violence and pacifism the event drew together people of different classes, religions and political parties for a common cause. The message of peace was loud and clear. Arguably Wianta's concept and images of peace were perhaps more widely acceptable to the local Balinese than the in-your-face artworks of Javanese artists Dadang Christanto, Heri Dono and Tisna Sanjaya. However, Christanto's 1001 Manusia Tanah or 1001 Clay People (1996), at Marina Shore, Ancol Park in Jakarta, drew enormous international attention for the way in which the macabre figures, half submerged in the ocean, strongly captured the culture of fear and suppression of the Indonesian people.

Made Wianta's strategy of community involvement and participation in Art and Peace Performance can be seen in relation to works by Bulgarian artist Christo, whose innate skill in provoking public opinion was demonstrated in his famous wrapping projects. Christo's Wrapped Coast (1969), Valley Curtain (1971-72) and Running Fence (1976) spoke of the natural environment and the effects of the wind on the swelling and rippling of the fabric. These art projects had direct positive and negative effects on the community, as locals had to confront these wrappings as part of their everyday life. At the end of the temporary project Christo returned the land to the way it had been previously. Similarly Wianta's Art and Peace Performance allowed the local public to be involved at a specific site. In contrast, Wianta's message focuses on pacifism and the Hindu concept of non-violence. Temporality and respect for the environment make projects by Christo and Wianta different from some of the permanent and grandiose projects of the 1970s by American artists Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer, Robert Morris, Walter de Maria and James Turrell. Some earthwork art, however, has generated vehemently negative responses from nature lovers: costly art projects in remote areas such as Great Salt Lake, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico have been considered bizarre, even suspect, pursuits. The curious mixture of self-removal and self-aggrandisement involved suggests a desire to reject museum and gallery space and emulate ancient, monumental sites, the large scale perhaps emphasising individual accomplishment and self-importance.

Although Wianta's Art and Peace project was large in scale and involved an enormous amount of manpower and budget, the drive for peace through community involvement did not make it a programme of self-aggrandisement. Wianta's art in the late 1990s has shifted noticeably from lyrical, calligraphic and surface-oriented paintings to assemblages and installations that reflect an awareness of pressing social issues and problems. In fact early works such as War (1985) and Transformation into a Giant (1985) did display sinister images of struggling components that gnaw and attack each other. These elements were no longer evident in the Dot, Quadrangle, Triangle, and Calligraphy series of the 1980s and 90s, reflecting instead a quest for aesthetic values. In contrast, City of Destruction (1997), The Soul of the Trees (1999), Triangle of the Fire (1999), Death of Someone's Memory(1999), Wounded Elements (1999), and The Lost Soul of the Future (1999) reveal a transition towards the themes of struggle, violence and destruction.

Wianta's outdoors projects such as Procession (1993) reinterpreted ceremonies and rituals in the context of modern urban Balinese pilgrimage. Similarly the Padha Yatra spiritual walk from the Ashram Gandhi Vidyapith in the Art and Peace procession integrated art with the sacred beliefs of the local people. After the Art and Peace Performance Wianta chose places on the beach to create site-specific wrappings of objects and areas with the peace cloth, with its poems and writings related to peace. Some wrappings involved human beings and resembled bundles of corpses ready to be buried or cremated. Wianta's new outdoors projects thrive on local issues related to the concept of tri hita karana (harmony with nature, human beings and the divine), ecological balance and Hinduanimist ceremonies. Sunari 2002 is in the planning process and uses giant wind flutes made of bamboo poles notched with sound holes so that musical tones are created by flowing wind. Derived from sunari musical instruments made by farmers for the rice goddess Dewi Sri, Wianta's series of bamboo flutes are to be erected in the fields of ripening rice in Jatiluwih in Tabanan, Bali. There is concern about the ecological implications of working in the rice fields during harvest time. The recycling of land for aesthetic purposes can be seen as a combination of temporal artworks and the decomposition of nature through time. Sunari 2002 symbolises respect for Balinese land through an offering to the rice goddess, and is one of Made Wianta's many ways of expressing his search for shanti.