Discovering the Power of Images and Screen Printing with Syaiful Ardianto
Syaiful Ardianto has long been recognized as one of Indonesia’s prominent graphic artists, consistently utilizing manual printing techniques, including screen printing. His screen print art zine and solo exhibition, titled Sumber Daya Gambar (Image Power) at Sunset Limited, are profound explorations of this practice—inviting audiences to immerse themselves in his journey of self-made graphic works and authentic printing techniques. Sitting down with Grafis Masa Kini, Syaiful shares insights on his process of discovering power through images and screen printing.
Syaiful has been involved in screen printing since 2004 when he first experimented with the technique alongside his friends at home. During his college years, majoring in graphic arts, Syaiful delved deeper into various printing techniques, with screen printing standing out as one of his main interests. “I love screen printing because it comes with many surprises—sometimes the ink gets clogged, smudges, or doesn’t hit the right spot. All those little surprises are what make it interesting,” Syaiful explains. Screen printing, or sablon as it’s commonly known in Indonesia, has long been a staple in graphic art. “Screen printing is like manual silk screen printing that uses a mesh screen. The process begins with a chemical photo exposure, transferring the image through light,” Syaiful elaborates, highlighting the fundamentals of the practice. Unlike digital printing, this technique embraces imperfections that hold artistic value.
Beyond preserving and maintaining this manual printing method, Syaiful’s screen print art zine serves as an alternative medium for the artist to disseminate his ideas independently, free from mainstream media's constraints. “Zines, by nature, go against the mainstream media. We create our own medium to discuss issues that matter to us but don’t make it to larger platforms,” he says.
The second volume of Syaiful’s screen print art zine, titled Satu Setel (English: One Set), was released in tandem with his solo exhibition. This edition emphasizes the importance of independent media production. “We can make our own books, bind them manually. Today, we have access to so many supporting materials to do this,” he remarks. In this context, Satu Setel is not just a piece of visual work but a tool to amplify personal and community-based ideas. Artistically, Syaiful combines images from his screen printing explorations and brings them together in the zine format. He further explains that, visually, Satu Setel adopts a collage concept, where old images from screen printing positives stored over time are reworked into new forms. “The images are from prints I’ve previously used for screen printing projects. With screen printing, we use positive films printed on tracing paper or clear astralon sheets. I rework and combine them with other pieces to create something new,” Syaiful says. Much like a matching outfit, this zine pairs images together, finding which combinations work best. “I made a collage out of images that can be used anywhere, which is why I named the zine Satu Setel—like a matching outfit that can be mixed and matched,” he adds.
Similarly, in his solo exhibition Sumber Daya Gambar, Syaiful highlights the role of images as creative resources that can be explored and utilized much like natural resources. “If natural resources like water or minerals can be used by people, so can images,” he explains. The exhibition features a collection of images sourced from various books, magazines, and newspapers from the 1940s-1950s, which he has gathered over more than a decade. “I’ve been collecting these images for over ten years. I categorize and archive them. When it’s time to create, I can revisit them. That’s why I named the exhibition Sumber Daya Gambar,” he shares. For Syaiful, these vintage images hold a distinct charm—not only for their visuals but also for the printing processes, which use high-relief printing techniques, unlike the modern digital prints we see today. “Back then, digital printing didn’t exist. They used high-relief printing, and even photos in books were developed from film negatives,” he explains. For Syaiful, this analog process—where every step requires attention and patience—remains an essential aspect of graphic art that deserves to be preserved today.
The works displayed in Sumber Daya Gambar span various printed mediums, including aged paper, book cutouts, and photographs. A unique element in this exhibition is the use of glass as a printing medium. Syaiful explains that glass here is not just a decorative element but also represents visual components from everyday life. “Glass in Jakarta is usually used for food stalls, pharmacies, or jewelry stores. So, I used glass along with related imagery, such as food and medicine, so that it’s not just decorative,” he explains.
The creation of Sumber Daya Gambar and Satu Setel was a long process. “I met Anggun Priambodo (curator) in January, and he invited me to exhibit. The whole process took about eight months,” Syaiful recalls. During this time, Syaiful went through several thematic changes before landing on the right one. “Initially, I wanted to focus solely on screen printing techniques. But after revisiting my collection of old images, I decided to explore the theme of ‘image resources’,” he reveals. The behind-the-scenes work for this exhibition allowed Syaiful to experiment with various mediums and display methods, including fragments of glass and vintage frames. “I enjoyed the process because this time, there was more thinking and experimentation,” he adds.
Through the Sumber Daya Gambar exhibition and the Satu Setel screen print art zine, Syaiful Ardianto demonstrates how images can be an inexhaustible resource for artistic exploration. With screen printing techniques full of surprises and authentic manual elements, Syaiful invites us to reconsider our relationship with manual graphic printing techniques and the digital world in this era. Moving forward, Syaiful plans to continue exploring the realm of analog printing techniques, venturing into new mediums like film collage.
