Jeihan: Days in Cicadas is a historical exhibition that looks at a specific aspect in the practice of Jeihan Sukmantoro (born in 1938), an influential Indonesian painter and poet. The exhibition displays portraits that Jeihan created in a critical period within his practice, between 1960s and 70s, when he lived in Cicadas, a lower socio-economic area in the eastern part of Bandung that was densely populated and known for its prostitution and petty crime.

Jeihan is known for his expressionistic figurative paintings which have been widely appreciated since the 1960s. The portraits in this exhibition portray the artist, his family members and other people from the neighbourhood, when Jeihan’s house functioned as a communal space as neighbors would come together to watch his television – one of the first in the neighbourhood.

Jeihan. [Unknown Title] (1972). Oil on canvas. 65x80 cm. Collection of the artist.

Jeihan Sukmantoro
b. Surakarta, Dutch East Indies, 1938

Jeihan Sukmantoro is an Indonesian artist known for his painting of people with “blackened eyes”. Jeihan’s creation of “black eyes” originated from his concerns regarding the social and political turmoil in the early 1960s and a reflection of human spiritual limitations, highlighting their inability to foresee the future.

Jeihan began to study painting at Himpunan Budaya Surakarta (Surakarta Cultural Community or HBS) and later moved to Bandung in the 1960s to study art at the Institut Teknologi Bandung (Bandung Institute of Technology or ITB). Combining the realistic practice from his previous training in HBS with the analytical and abstractive style of ITB, this period significantly influenced his artistic development. However, he resigned after five years, feeling that the study environment was “too restrictive for his creative freedom.”

Jeihan was also part of the poets’ circle in Cicadas experimenting with concrete poetry. In 1971, he and his fellow poets coined the term "Puisi mBeling" (‘mischievous poetry’) to define their literary movement. Puisi mBeling was frequently published in Aktuil magazine, a significant rock music magazine driven by Indonesia's emerging pop culture, during Jeihan's tenure as an editor for literature and poetry from 1971-1973.

In 1978, Jeihan established the Seni Rupa Bandung studio, providing a space for Bandung young artists to create independently. He was also a member of the committee of The World Art and Culture Exchange Association Inc., based in New York. Some of the awards he received include the “Perintis Seni Rupa Jawa Barat” (Pioneer of West Java Visual Arts) in 2006 and “Penghargaan Anugerah Budaya Kota Bandung” (The Cultural Award of Bandung) in 2009.