SUSTAINING LIFE : Indonesian Art Has Practical Work to Do in Irvine

In our culture, if you have lots of dough and want to spend it all on Rolexes and yachts, it’s your prerogative. A wealthy man of the Torajan culture of Sulawesi in Indonesia, on the other hand, is obliged by the rules of his society to provide for his community by distributing water buffalo meat and hosting festivals.

The elegant, early-20th-Century figure pictured on this page was just such a person. His horse and the water buffalo horns on his headdress are indicative of his high status, as are the delicacy of the woodcarving and the fine material of his hand-woven cloak. His slender, uplifted hand is a sign of his philanthropic goodwill.

This life-sized sculpture is a particularly outstanding example of a tau tau , a Torajan image of a dead person. During the funeral, it guides the person’s spirit to the afterlife. Later, it serves as a reminder that proper attention has been paid to the deceased.

In an animistic society--which believes that the natural world is inhabited by spirits--if the dead are not properly honored, their disembodied spirits will come back to make life miserable for those who survive. The animistic beliefs of the cultures of Indonesia’s hinterlands are the major theme of “Island Indonesia: Reflections of Art, Mirrors of Culture” at the Irvine Fine Arts Center.

Organized by Armand J. Labbe, chief curator of the Bowers Museum, in collaboration with center curator Dorrit Fitzgerald, the exhibit includes more than 160 objects drawn from the collections of 10 private lenders in Southern California.

The 19th- and 20th-Century artists whose craftsmanship is represented in the exhibit were not striving to be innovative. Even technical mastery of a given medium was far less important than clarifying important relations between members of a community and supernatural powers. This is art with practical work to do: emphasizing the positive forces of life and protecting against lurking evils.

A baby carrier is ornamented with designs protecting an infant against sickness; a elaborate winged lion guards a household against disaster; two feline creatures on either side of an architectural element are reassuring symbols of the dualities of life.

The exhibit is part of the Festival of Indonesia, a national event initiated by a private Indonesian cultural foundation.

What

“Island Indonesia: Reflections of Art, Mirrors of Culture,” more than 150 examples of ritual carvings, textiles, jewelry and paintings from the hinterlands of Indonesia.

When

Saturday, Aug. 18,through Oct. 30. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Where

Irvine Fine Arts Center, 14321 Yale Ave., Irvine.

Whereabouts

Take Culver Drive exit from San Diego or Santa Ana Freeway to Walnut Avenue; center is at corner of Walnut and Yale avenues.

Wherewithal

Admission is free.

Where to call

(714) 552-1018.