A tattooed republic?

Klas Lundstrm, Contributor, Jakarta | Feature | Tue, August 14 2012, 6 11 A!

"a#red A $alinese %oman %it& an 'omkara( tattoo stands at $atu $olong bea#& in Canggu during a )uri*i#ation ritual on !ar#& 20+,J-.Agung -arames%ara/ Feature News

0ig& time to look be1ond $ali *or tourism o))ortunities T&ere is room at t&e inn *or 2uali*ied &uman resour#es "a#red s)a#e or &1)erkits#&3

At t&e #a*4 at t&e train station in 5og1akarta, a man in &is late 20s )ulls u) &is le*t s&irtslee6e+ A #ool bree7e *rom a *an &its t&e *res& tattoo+ 8ne or t%o #a*4 guests #ast 2ui#k, ner6ous glan#es at t&e man9s arm %&ile &e t&anks someone else *or t&e kind %ords regarding &is latest a#2uisition : a tattoo en#ir#led b1 a dark, e;)li#it ba#kground+ <&1 did &e get t&e tattoo3 '= lo6e tattoos,( t&e man sa1s+

T%ent1 1ears ago, t&is sig&t %ould more or less &a6e been im)ossible in =ndonesia+ A )erson %it& a )ubli#l1 dis)la1ed tattoo %ould most likel1 &a6e *a#ed se6ere re)risals : des)ite t&e *a#t t&at t&e #ountr1 in#ludes man1 #ultures %it& bod1 de#oration traditions, in#luding tattoos+ Tattoos *or a long time : in )eo)le9s and )oliti#ian9s e1es : %ere e2ui6alent to #rime and danger+ And, art in =ndonesia during t&e "oe&arto era, as in ot&er Asian #ountries su#& as t&e -&ili))ines, "inga)ore and T&ailand during t&e 1>?09s and 1>@09s, %as a )oliti#al mine*ield %&ere artists ran t&e risk o* being labeled dissidents, #ommunists or t&reats to t&e nation+

8rdinar1 At t&e T%o Auns tattoo studio in $ali, sterile e2ui)ment is al%a1s used+ Tattoo )arlors in $ali %ere brie*l1 under *ire a*ter an Australian %arning against getting tattoos on t&e 6a#ation island, #iting a re)ort o* someone #ontra#ting 0=B *rom unsterile e2ui)ment+,J-.J+ -+ CD%an/

T&e tattoo made its #omeba#k *rom t&e #old in =ndonesia t&anks to t&e o%ner o* a tattoo )arlor in 5og1akarta a man named At&onk+ =n t&e underground s#ene, At&onk is still #onsidered a s&ining star %&o used t&e tattoo needle as a tool to bring ba#k tribal s1mbolism *rom t&e dead : ba#k into a gro%ing s)&ere in t&e '"out&east Asian Tiger9s( #ultural li*e+

8ne o* At&onk9s #ontributions to t&e #ultural )erestroika #ame t&e 1ear be*ore "oe&arto9s resignation, in 1>>?, %&en t&e #ountr19s *irst e6er organi7ed tattoo *esti6al %as &eld in 5og1akarta+

Forbidden =n A#e& in Ce#ember o* last 1ear, tattoos be#ame a tou#&1 subDe#t %it& t&e arrests o* do7ens o* ')unks(, o*ten tattooed+,J-.0otli "imanDuntak/

=t is said t&at t&e !enta%ai )eo)le, li6ing on islands o** t&e %est #oast o* "umatra, #ontains t&e oldest )roo* o* a tattoo #ulture, and t&e Ca1ak )eo)le o* $orneo &a6e long used t&e bod1 de#oration o* tattoos+ "o#ial ant&ro)ologist Laine $erman %rote '=n Ja6a, an1 resear#& related to t&e art o* tattoo must kee) in mind t&e *a#t t&at tattoos in man1 %a1s *orm t&e so#ioe#onomi# border line bet%een ri#& and )oor+( $ot& sides, $erman #ontinues, &a6e ado)ted t&e tattoo, but *or entirel1 di**erent reasons, and &ad t&em made under #om)letel1 di**erent #ir#umstan#es+ T&e di**eren#e #an be illustrated b1 t&e 6aried moti*s, t&e )erson9s reason *or %anting a

tattoo, and i* t&e1 get it done b1 a *riend in a domesti# en6ironment, in a ni#e tattoo )arlor %it& sterile e2ui)ment or on a street #orner %it& &andmade e2ui)ment and *atal &ealt& risks+ 0eroin addi#ts &a6e used tattoo art %&ile tr1ing to de*eat t&eir drug addi#tion+ Tattoos, and some moti*s, are belie6ed to #ontain s)iritual *or#es and o**er #lose #onta#t to Aod or t&e gods : t&ere*ore tattoos &a6e al%a1s been used as talismans to )rote#t t&eir bearers *rom e6il s)irits+ =solated #i6ili7ations in $orneo and "umatra su**ered in t&e %ake o* t&e arri6al o* Euro)eans and im)erialism : in order to a))ease t&eir ne% gods, Ca1ak %omen &ad t&eir earlobes #ut o**, and mig&t1 tribesmen &ad t&eir tattoos remo6ed b1 #learing t&eir tattooed skin+ =n t&e 1>@09s, %&en t&e =ndonesian e#onom1 %as in turmoil, 'tattooed #riminals( be#ame a let&al )oliti#al e;)ression+ =n ne%s)a)ers one #ould read about )eo)le being killed, sim)l1 labeled as 'tattooed(, %it&out an1 *urt&er in*ormation+ '-eo)le %earing tattoos, 6oluntaril1 started to &and t&emsel6es in to t&e )oli#e, sim)l1 to a6oid being killed in t&e streets,( James "iegel %rites in A Fe% Criminal T1)e in Jakarta CounterGHe6olution Toda1+ T&e killed 'tattooed )eo)le( %ere o*ten le*t on t&e road as a %arning sign to t&e )ubli#+ Artists remain traumati7ed b1 t&e %a1 t&e1 %ere treated during t&e "oe&arto regime, sa1s one o* t&e %ritings in A%asI, a #olle#tion o* essa1s about t&e modern =ndonesian art s#ene+ Censors&i) &as taken its tollJ artists #ontinue to sel*G#ensor, %&i#& in t&e long run a**e#ts t&e entire #ountr19s #ultural s#ene+ =n e6er1 demo#ra#1, its #ultural state o* mind tells 1ou &o% )eo)le reall1 *eel+ A##ording to $erman, in a so#iet1 %&ere )eo)le *or a long time &ad to li6e %it& t&eir e1es #losed, t&e1 tend to a6oid #ultural e;)ressions t&at #&allenge middleG#lass li*est1les and nonG urban so#ial alternati6es+ $erman talks about a mono#ulture on t&e artisti# *ront t&at *or man1 1ears seemed to e#li)se =ndonesia+ 0o%e6er, t&e sig&t o* t&e 1oung dis)la1ing t&eir tattoos in )ubli# strongl1 indi#ates t&at t&ere are more #olors t&an bla#k and %&ite )resent in modernGda1 =ndonesia+ Toda1, tattoos seem to be a gro%ing )art o* so#iet1+ Tattoo )arlors #an be seen in most o* t&e bigger #ities on Ja6a and $ali, and =ndonesian artists o*ten dis)la1 t&eir %orks at international tattoo *esti6als+ <alking inside a mall, 1ou o*ten )ass t&e unmistakable sound o* a tattoo needle #at#&ing u) its s)eed, *ollo%ed b1 t&e ner6ous look o* a )erson %&o is about to de#orate, )ermanentl1, a )art o* &is or &er bod1 in a modern %a1 *rom %&at &as al%a1s been an integral )art o* t&e #ultural li*e in "out&east Asia9s *astest gro%ing e#onom1+ 'Are 1ou read13( t&e tattoo artist asks &is #lient+ T&e #lient ans%ers %it& a 2uiet nod+ E6er1t&ing seems to stand still *or a moment, as i* t&e %&ole %orld &as &it t&e )ause button, but s&ortl1 a*ter, e6er1t&ing9s ba#k to %&at it %as+

Alt&oug& t&ese mobile tattoo )arlors are o*ten *ound under an es#alator or in t&e #orner near t&e )ubli# restrooms ne;t to t&e *ood #ourt, most )eo)le #&oose to look on t&e brig&t side+ Fo%ada1s, at least t&e19re inside t&e malls, integrated in t&e range o* #ommer#ial alternati6es, a gro%ing )art o* t&e #ommunit1+ <orld%ide, some still #onsider tattoos a s1mbol o* #rime, t&e*t and danger : but in =ndonesia, %&ere t&e oldest tattoos &a6e been tra#ed ba#k to t&e =ron Age, 10,000 1ears ago, it &as made a remarkable #omeba#k sin#e t&e turn o* t&e #entur1+ Can t&e in#reasing numbers o* tattoos, )arti#ularl1 among 1out&, tell us somet&ing about t&e #ondition o* t&e #ountr19s demo#ra#13 =s a re#ent tattooed arm in a #a*4 in 5og1akarta a sign3 A##ording to some, it is+ '"oon enoug&(, a 1oung man in Jakarta sa1s, '1ou9ll &o)e*ull1 be able to a))l1 *or an1 t1)e o* Dob %it&out *eeling as&amed o* 1our tattoos+( 8n &is ne#k, a tattoo in*luen#ed b1 Ja6anese batik #ulture breat&s under t&e &ot Jakarta sun+ "ome da1, &e adds+ -a)er Edition | -age 2K
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