You had me at selamat datang – or halo! Indonesia has been stalking me. Or rather, we’re stalking each other. I just watched the play Matinya Toekang Kritik (Death of a Critic), which is part of The Esplanade’s Pesta Raya 2009. The humorous one-actor show by Butet Kartaredjasa revolved around an old grumpy critic (Literary? Social? I didn’t really get exactly what kind) who reminisces about the social import of, well, critics through the years. The critic’s butler also makes his appearance, talking fondly (most of the time) about his boss. From what I could understand from the wonky surtitling and Butet’s engrossing acting, it’s crazy, crazy satirical stuff (although, I’m pretty sure I missed 90% of the unscripted gags) that poked fun at Indo prez SBY, politicians in general, Indo history…. There was a lot of back-and-forth repartee between him and his back-up band that got the crowd howling (Damn, I really regret not taking more BI language units back in uni…) even as the piece itself went back and forth through time – eventually ending up in the distant, utopian future (complete with a rather retro multi-media “time machine” sequence and a crude looking “robot” butler), where critics were rendered obsolete. Given that I’m a journo, that I’m occasionally called to “review” plays and that I live and work in a, erm, unique social environment, there was a lot to think about. But I’m saving that for another day and instead, gush over Indonesian artists. I’m by no means a veteran or hardcore follower – I’ll be the first to say I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. But every time I bump into one (or one’s work), I am drawn to it. I find myself drawn to Indonesian contemporary visual artists. Even as I can’t help but roll my eyes at the “auction darling” tag, I loved I Nyoman Masriadi’s work when I first saw them. Same goes for my recent encounters with Christine Ay Tjoe and Agus Suwage. I’m still waiting for Mosaic Music Festival to bring in the band Sore. I thought Jecko Siompo’s Terima Kost was one of the best dance pieces at the recent Singapore Arts Festival and I was humbled in the presence of choreographer Boi Sakti when I recently had the chance to talk to him. I’ve only seen one short film by Edwin and, despite Philip Cheah’s insistence when he was still programming SIFF, missed Garin Nugroho’s films completely. But Joko Anwar’s Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door) was one of my faves at the recent Bangkok film fest. I cringe at the idea of a trying to describe a particular country’s sense aesthetic but hey, you have to start somewhere right? And that’s what I’m trying to figure out at the moment. It’s sometimes stylish, sometimes crude, sometimes retro, sometimes futuristic, sometimes fun, sometimes serious, sometimes garang, sometimes flamboyant – all filtered through a kind of Third World sensibility that you’ll never find in a Singapore work (because of course, they function under a different set of rules). For now, I guess I’ll have to work with that Boi told me last week – and that’s the idea that these contemporary artists may have one foot in their country’s heritage but are unapologetic in being forward looking. It’s a paradox that works beautifully for them. If you want to catch more Indonesian works, check out Rantau Berbisik on Oct 17 or 18, by the Nan Jombang Dance Company -- they're from Padang and we've heard their studio had collapsed during the recent earthquake. But they're still rarin' to go. Boi Sakti's collaboration with THE Dance Company, Void: Jendela Peradaban, is also going to be staged at the coming Da:ns Festival. Indonesia has been stalking me. Or rather, we’re stalking each other. I just watched the play Matinya Toekang Kritik (Death of a Critic), which is part of The Esplanade’s Pesta Raya 2009.