My Ten Faces

This work was made after Hendra was released from prison as a political prisoner. "Aing Dasamuka" can be interpreted as "10 faces", or "10 mouths". The strong bond between Hendra and the cultural tradition of wayang showed in this painting, associated with the character Rahwana from the play Rama and Shinta, also known by the name of Dasamuka. In this story, Rahwana is portrayed as being manipulative and tattling to get what he wants. The moral of the story Dasamuka can be understood as having the capacity for mental dexterity and using role-play to accomplish a goal."Aing means I, me or myself, and Dasamuka means 10 faces. The Dasamuka refers to Rahwana, the king of Alengkadireja in the wayang stories of Ramayana. Rahwana was a king who had many powers, was tough and resourceful, but also was overly ambitious, a trait that caused much trouble for the gods. To appease him, the gods gave him a beautiful wife, Dewi Tari. One time Rahwana became enamored of Dewi Sinta, and abducted her even though Sinta was Rama's wife. When Rama retook his wife, Rahwana became very angry. All of his powers burst out at once, causing his 10 terrible faces to jump out, which, by Hendra were drawn as crocodiles, wild boars, snakes, dogs, and others. Only Hendra knew who it was that resembled Dasamuka in 1979. (Agus Dermawan T.)