Kemardikan Madurese keris with 4 kembang kacang

[David]

Alexish, i'm not sure that you really addressed Dr. David's questions other than acknowledging that this was a commissioned piece.
Was it commissioned by you personally for your own collection?
If so i am also curious to hear the answers to the questions that Dr. D asked. I am also curious why you would have commissioned the maker to add the unduk-unduk (seahorse) figures into the design since these are not really relevant to Madurese and Javanese style keris.

[alexish]

The keris wilah and sarung are entirely my design, inspired by the following attached images.

[David]

So your influences seem to come from all over the archipelago, encompassing multiple and differing keris cultures from across the entire area. Do you image that the keris should be presented as some kind of generic mishmash of styles, mixing various elements of regional forms and designs from completely different tribal communities of people together into some kind of syncretic representation of the ultimate everything keris? Interesting.

[A. G. Maisey]

Alexish, I do understand that you have a deep interest in the art of the keris, but do you understand that keris art is subject to certain restrictions upon design ?

Design of the keris itself, and of the dress for the keris need to meet some cultural requirements, even when they deviate from traditional cultural standards.

Quite simply, the keris form is not a blank canvas that is open to each of us to do with as we wish, at least not within keris culture, however, within the field of modern art, my understanding is that virtually anything is acceptable, thus, perhaps your involvement in keris design may be better appreciated in a discussion group where the focus is modern art, rather than the keris.

I was mentored for many years by Empu Suparman Supawijaya, the first man in post war Jawa to be made an Empu Keris by the Karaton Surakarta, and I can assure you that by his standards, you have created something that he, and many other traditional Javanese people would find more than a little offensive.

In the keris there are a number of esoteric relationships that include indigenous Javanese belief systems and ancestor worship.

If we were to think of this in Christian terms what you have done with your keris designs is to take the Cross of Christ and use it as a canvas for, say, Motor Art, or Surf Art. It is at least a quite disrespectful approach.

I am certain that you did not realise this relationship between the Keris and Javanese belief systems, however, I do hope that you will take what I have written above under consideration and in future act in an appropriate fashion.

EDIT

I have just received a private email pointing out to me that although you, Alexish, did in fact design this keris, it was willingly made by an Indonesian artist, thus if an Indonesian artist could make it, how could it possibly offend anybody?

Well, within Indonesia there are many different cultures and societies, and many different standards. I am speaking from the basis of what I was taught by a very traditional Javanese gentleman of the old school, who was also a Karaton Empu in Surakarta Central Jawa.

Your keris was made by a commercial artist living in Madura, who needs to earn money to support himself and his family.

It can be expected that what one man finds acceptable, another might find unacceptable. Empu Suparman, now regrettably departed to a higher realm, would become highly agitated when he spoke of the innovations of the "Anak-Anak ASKI", and their work did not deviate so much from traditional design as does the work of many current makers who live in Madura.

This is just the difference between the old traditional perspective, and the modern non-traditional perspective:- 2017 is not 1917; Sumenep, Madura is not Surakarta, Jawa Tengah; Jakarta is not Surakarta Jawa Tengah; an Empu created by PB XII is not the same as an empu created by some later personage.

Time alters perspective.