Chet Witek bought his first piece of Indonesian art before he had even been to Indonesia. The wonderfully bizarre mask from Bali has huge fierce eyes painted in concentric circles, with long tufts of hair attached to strings hanging below. “It was a wonderful discovery–something new to my eyes,” he says. Soon Witek, a sculptor, collage maker, and professor of interior design at the College of DuPage, was traveling regularly to Indonesia. In seven trips he has spent about a year there and has acquired more than 400 objects, most of which are currently divided between two shows, one at the Harold Washington Library Center and the other at the Cortland-Leyten Gallery.
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An amazing group of painted shields from the Asmat tribe are among the strongest pieces in the Washington library show. Their patterns, often based on plant or animal forms, are a starkly powerful mix of the geometric and the organic. In the 70s, when these shields were made, the coastal Asmat were living a near Stone Age existence; the three colors used come from the most basic sources: clay, clamshells, and charcoal. Yet the shield makers, says Witek, never create two alike.
Among the more benign objects on view are dozens of puppets and masks used in traditional performances known as wayang theater. Wayang kulit, a shadow play using thin leather puppets, is the most famous version. A display at the Washington library sets six such puppets behind a screen. Actual performances, Witek says, are wildly animated: the gamelan orchestra provides lots of clanging and banging, the puppets sometimes strike the screen, and there is an overall festive atmosphere with vendors selling satay.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photos/Cynthia Howe.
