Jakarta Biennale 09

Fascinating works of art

2009-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Lynn Lee, Indonesia Correspondent
February 15, 2009 Sunday, 07:47 PM
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Lynn Lee walks us through the inspiring works of the Jakarta Biennale.

VISITORS to Jakarta's National Gallery this month will first be wowed by the building's well-preserved colonial architecture, and then by what's on show inside its cavernous halls.

Huge canvas paintings by Australian artist David Griggs, mostly inspired by violence and gore on the streets of Manila, hang near the entrance. Down in the basement, Singapore-based Sherman Ong captures objects and moments in Hanoi – an altar in someone's home, a couple having tea by the roadside. A few metres away, young Javanese artist Jompet employs ear-deafening audio, video and bodiless soldiers to demonstrate the theme of war that runs through Java's past.

These works are part of this year's Jakarta Biennale, a bid by the city's Arts Council to showcase foreign artists, and help the city take a step towards becoming an international arts hub.

Around 40 of them have their work on show at the Gallery and at the Grand Indonesia mall, including three Singaporeans Donna Ong, Khairuddin Hori and Ming Wong, who were in town for the Biennale's opening on Feb 7.

I visited both exhibition sites over the weekend and was thoroughly impressed by the varied, yet carefully-considered nature of the works.

Artist Ming Wong, in a four channel-vide installation, explores identity and language by re-enacting scenes from four of Malaysian director P Ramlee's best-known films from the 1950s to 1970s. He plays 16 different characters, donning wigs and fake mustaches where necessary – from a negligee-clad vixen who is shot dead, to a makcik begging for forgiveness from God, to a young man who pokes his eyes out with a fork – reciting their lines in his non-fluent Malay. The scenes are repeated over and over, with English subtitles.

For artist Khairuddin Hori, his bid to bring art back to the people has led him to create the Jakarta Biennale Community College, an extension of an earlier work. Thus, in a corner of the Gallery are rows of chairs facing a whiteboard, depicting a classroom. At various times during the past week, people were urged to contribute to the "curriculum" by leading discussions or sharing their expertise on a particular topic.

A 10-minute cab ride away to a mall with plush carpets and gleaming luxury stores, is Ms Ong's black and white video installation titled "The Meeting". The series of frames shows dolls from the United States and Japan in changing light settings and positions, and is a historical documentation of a series of doll exchanges between the United States and Japan that went sour because of World War II.

From 1927, more than 10,000 blue-eyed dolls were sent to Japan, with a variety of kimono-clad dolls sent back to the United States. But when the war began, Japanese dolls were put in storage and the American ones were defaced or destroyed.

The exhibits, which are on show till Feb 27, are part of the second segment of the Biennale, which includes bringing art to the masses at places like parks, bus stops and walkways. The first segment, which began last November, included a film and literary festival, and outreach programmes like a comic-making workshop for inmates of a juvenile prison.

Of his first Biennale experience, Mr Khairuddin says he was inspired by how the program brought art into the public space, rather than just "being seen as elitist".

It was a viewpoint shared by the Biennale's program director Ade Darmawan, who had earlier said that Jakarta's chaotic urban landscape had turned into an "arena...where there is a tight battle for space."

"It becomes interesting when all these processes are no longer only about how to place an artwork in a room or an art gallery so the public will see it, but becomes a direct experience with the public, the location and the entire system surrounding it," he said.

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/correspondents

Jakarta Biennale Community College

2009-02-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

A personal invite...

Dear Friends,

I have been invited to share a work for Jakarta Biennale 2009 which is scheduled to take place from 06 - 27 February 2009 at the Galeri Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia (amongst its other venues, check out www.jakartabiennale.com).

With funds allocated as my artists' per diem, I have decided to set up a 'college' of sorts, one that I am calling 'Jakarta Biennale Community College'. It is an open school by all, for all.

I would like to call upon any of you who might be interested in sharing some knowledge with the public to come forward and contribute to the college's curriculum.

Participation and facilitation of workshop / lecture / lesson / tutorial / seminar e.t.c is not limited to any specific audiences or subjects. You might want to share some secret knowledge of astronomy, maybe a traditional grandmother's recipe, a conspiracy theory, perhaps a secret martial arts system or even, a technological breakthrough. Each session provides a modest allowance of 100,000 Indonesian Rupiah for its facilitator/s.

Should you be interested in spreading some love at the Jakarta Biennale Community College, please communicate your intentions to Miss Diah Sekarwidhi through an email to JktBiennaleCommunityCollege@gmail.com.

Or contact: 0878 320 81901

Your participation is our treasure.

cheers,

Khai

The Jakarta Biennale XIII: A visionary breakthrough

2009-02-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

The Jakarta Post - Carla Bianpoen , Contributor , Jakarta | Thu, 02/12/2009 3:55 PM | Lifestyle
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The Jakarta Biennale's 13th edition is a breakthrough, a true fresh of breath air for the regional art scene.

Its refreshing feel allows new visions to emerge with energizing art works by regional artists in their thirties.

The official opening at the National Gallery on Feb. 7 marked a new phase in the Jakarta Biennale - and in the region - which has never before seen such youthful creativity showcasing Indonesian and regional art at its best. Curator Agung Hujatnikajennong, along with the Jakarta Arts Council, has succeeded in making the Jakarta Biennale into a show of far-reaching vision, presenting a unity of art works that stretches beyond national borders.

The exhibition's appeal is that it appears to be of works that share notions of the contemporary, rather than the differences of national identities, although memories specific to some countries are an enduring source of inspiration for some of the greatest works in the exhibition. One such work is Java: The War of Ghosts, an installation by Kuswidananto alias Jompet - an artist who earlier delighted the public at the 3rd Yokohama Triennale with a similar installation. The installation consists of drums beating mechanically with the bodiless figures of keraton (palace) guards constructed using Javanese (Europe-inspired) jackets in place of the body, shorts and European boots in place of the feet and legs, and European rifles held by imaginary hands. Using multimedia - video, recycled electronic devices, drums, resin and video projections - Jompet adopts Java's royal soldiers as a symbol of the particularly Javanese impulse of syncretism to merge divergent beliefs and cultures. His experience in broadcasting inspired him to combine the use of visual and audio techniques and materials for his fascinating art works.

Simpler and less technical, but clearly issuing from a depth of thought, experience and imagination, is the installation of 132 handmade passports by Bali-born Tintin Wulia, who is trained in architecture and musicology, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in visual arts in Melbourne. Titled (Re)collection of Togetherness - stage 4, the installation is a moving testimony of her exploration of identity as someone from the Chinese minority , who has endured an ongoing state of discrimination and insecurity. Passports are artificial constructions that can never give enough information about one's real identity - hence her desire to be free as a citizen of the world.

There is also Ming Wong from Singapore, variously an artist, performer and playwright, who explores the performative veneers of language and identity. Inspired by the Malay Muslim author P. Ramlee, whose writings are now forbidden in Malaysia because of some frank depictions of social and sexual mores of the local community at the time, Ming Wong re-enacts precisely such depictions, in Malay, a language that he has not mastered. The result, Four Malay Stories, is a four-channel video installation with audio.

The artist's attempts to adopt a foreign language and cultural traits, which he says are deliberately nostalgic and poetic, appear to hint at an underlying critique of the laws denying P. Ramlee's literary works.

The walls in the main hall of the National Gallery are covered with colorful paintings. One wall features a series of acrylic paintings titled The Bleeding Heart Club by Australian David Griggs. Another wall that stretches into another space became the pink "platform" for Vincent Leong, to stencil-print tiny icons and symbols in green, tightly packed together on paper.

The work, titled Tropical Paradise, addresses the promotions of tourism boards that all tend to be the same and utterly boring, said Leong. Leong wants to invoke these feelings of boredom through the repetitive images. Utterly telling is an installation of tiny white toy soldiers, titled A Day in the Life of the Other, by Lyra Garcellano, which is set beside Cul de Sac, another work by the same artist that features dozens of digital prints of sorrowful or weeping women. Another piece is the Malay-born Nadiah Bamadhaj's stirring charcoal painting Lewat Gapura in which she depicts herself as Medusa, a foreigner among foreigners in Yogyakarta.

The somber installation of five single-channel video installations including a table with dozens of photographs of dolls, titled The Meeting, by the Singapore-born Donna Ong in the lower level of Grand Indonesia's shopping mall creates the feel of an eerie, dark room of anxiety, but in fact refers to a doll project meant as an act of friendship between Japan and the United States in the 20th century.

There are also Eko Nugroho's fascinating installations of elephants in combination with a humorous mural, Phil Collins' video installation of karaoke sessions with local people singing "Dunia Tak Akan Mendengar" (The World Won't Listen), a song by the Manchester music group.

There are many more that deserve to be noted: Rudy Mantofani and Handiwirman's finely finished works, the works by Yason Banal, Poklong Anading and Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, Wiyoga Muhardanto's unique sculptures, Sylvain Sailly's animation and a dozen others.

Typical of its new vision, 28.5 percent of the participants in the Jakarta Biennale 2009 are women, which is one of the highest rates among Asian biennales.

This is the third part of this year's Jakarta Biennale, presented as "Fluid Zone: Traffic and Mapping". The fourth part will follow some time in March, according to Marco Kusumawijaya, the director of the Jakarta Arts Council. Its theme is "Invisible Cities".

The Jakarta Biennale:
Fluid Zone
Until Feb. 27, 2009
At the National Gallery Jakarta
and Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall, East Side.

The City Choreography Performance

2009-01-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

February, 21 – 27 2008
(Zone of Understanding - Jakarta Biennale 2009)

The dance performances is a permanent program of The Jakarta Arts Council. Every year, amount of choreographers are invited to perform, showing their artworks based on their respond about the theme that is different in every year.

This year, 4 choreographer were invited to involve in this event. They will perform a dance in a public spaces as a result of their respond to the city conditions. The choreographer Boby Ary Setiawan for example, will bring a dance artwork titled ‘Z.C (Zebra Cross)’. The dance will be located in Zebra Cross at the street intersection. The performance will be started while the cars, motorcyces and other vehicle are stopped by the traffic light.

List of performance :

Choregrapher : Boby Ari Setiawan (SOLO)
Titled :‘Z.C (Zebra Cross)’
Description : The Z.C will be performed at along the zebra cross around the street intersection. The artist will show their performances while the cars, motorcycles, or other vehicles are stopped by the traffic light. (30 sec/perform)
Location : Sarinah, Thamrin – Jakarta Pusat
Schedule : Jumat, 27 Februari 2009

Yola Yulfianti (JAKARTA)
‘Kopi ( The Coffee)’
‘Kopi’ will presented in a coffe shop at Cikini, Jakarta Pusat. It will be divided into three scene menus that are mutually interrelated : Caffe latte, Hot choc' latte with free hot spot, Tubruk latte (35 minutes / perform)
Bakoel Kofi, Jl. Cikini Raya – Jakarta Pusat, Sabtu, 21 Februari 2009

Retno Sulistyorini (SOLO)
‘Dumb of Body (Tubuh Bisu)’
The Dumb of Body will presents a thing and instalative artworks which are translated into imagination. The things would be presented into settings and property and also human body as a media movement. Dancers as a moderator, will provides a meaning of those things with a choreography technics as well as movement exploration. (30 minutes / perform)
Plaza Taman Ismail Marzuki – Jakarta Pusat, Kamis, 26 Februari 2009

Fitra / Yusril (PADANG)
‘Tari Tiang (the Pole dance)’

The Pole Dance will presents a body intallation as it’s artworks. A petrified bodies that mutually collide as a fixed thing. This artworks provides 3 parts; A routine body and a body in a day; a trained body and the ill ones; a mechanical body; get into the body, pole, and the process becoming to stone and iron. (45 minutes / perform)
Plaza Taman Ismail Marzuki – Jakarta Pusat, Rabu, 25 Februari'09

Remembering the City Spaces

2009-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

By : Irma Chantily

Time brings change. It's the rapid changes since the 70's until now , that makes Jakarta a metropolitan city, with its tall buildings and various public facilities emerging everywhere.

However those changes happen so quickly, and it's as if we can't keep up with all the latest developments around us. Unoccupied land has been transformed into office buildings, old houses into malls and city parks have now become new housing settlements. The places that we once knew have vanished over a short period of time. Time is not the culprit, as it is constant. It's the city's developments that has gone so swiftly.

Digging up the public's memories and redefining what a city is; these are the basic ideas behind the Specific Sites Project Workshop, one of the programs of the Jakarta Biennale 2009.

According to the Jakarta Biennale 2009 Program Director, Ade Darmawan, the project started off from a workshop, that emphasizes on the interaction and collaboration of the participants that come from various different backgrounds. As a Jakartan, they all had to look for certain places that they can still remember but no longer exists??. Throughout the workshop they explored what kind of artwork would be possible for public spaces, also discussed and debated their ideas so they can produce their work based on there different ideas and social backgrounds.

The workshop was held from November 2008 until January 2009. Ardi Yunanto the coordinator for the Battle Zone and the Specific Sites Project says , the workshop was held intensively for a week at Ruang Rupa, a contemporary arts community. After six meetings, each participant held their routine gatherings to discuss the technical issues and permission to display their work.

After the workshop comes to a close, their works will be placed in several public places. You can see them in 11 locations across Jakarta at the : Grand Senen Theater, Jakarta Kota Train Station, the place below the underpass in front of Tebet Station, the Transjakarta sky walk shelter at Dukuh Atas, economy class train en route Tanah Abang - Serpong, and Tanah Abang Station, National Monument, three nail prone areas in East Jakarta, toll road walls in front of Cilandsk Town Square, texts at the Sarinah Intersection, and four motor theft prone areas along TB Simatupang Road.

What have these young artists created? What memories are they trying to revive and how do they redefine city and public spaces? We'll soon find out and enjoy their work in mid January 2009. Come and appreciate them!

Chamber for Women. Notes from Women's Chamber Jakarta Biennale 2009

2009-01-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

By : Irma Chantily

Photo exhibitions is a means of communication between photographers and the public. These photos portray the stories of restlessness, social and psychological realities, happiness and just about anything. It's these kinds of experiences that are shared with the public, to widen their horizons or even arouse controversy and curiosity.

The Chamber for Women Exhibition was officially closed on January 9th 2009. The all women photographers, attempted to show the social problems in Jakarta. Around 25 photography works using various approaches, were displayed at the Cipta III Gallery and Oktagon Gallery from December 2nd until January 9th 2009.

The exhibition was carried out by Mata Perempuan a group of women photographers, who have exhibited their work twice before. Though both were themeless, they focused on a much more women's approach. This time around they were challenged to portray the subjectivity of women and the problems of the city through photography.

As one of the events of the Zone of Understanding Jakarta Biennale 2009, the Chamber for Women Exhibition attempted to address the problems that emerged during the first stages of the city's development - that undermined the humanistic elements. That when people adjust to the city structures and not vice versa, spatial problems were bound to arise. Through the exhibition, Mata Perempuan tried to emphasize these concerns – that later were under debate, and perhaps different compared to the the problems faced by men..

The eight photographers involved in this exhibition include : Aiko Urfia Rakhmi, Christina Phan, Evelyn Pritt, Ruth Hesti Utami, Julia Sarisetiati, Keke Tumbuan, Malahayati, dan Stephany Yaya Sungkharisma. Each come from various backgrounds, making the exhibition dynamic. For instance Yaya with her surreal style who captured a hand coming out of a noodle bowl or a mouth that become one with a shower. Or Evelyne Pritt's city report – that emphasized the rising land prices and unoccupied land in the city. Hesti also used her own approach playing with symbols – bandages as a sign of sickness, attached to three faces overlooking the cold sea of concrete buildings.

Apart from the these works, 20 other photos were on display for 300 visitors. Many stories were shared along with questions, suggestions, and comments from the public. Although for now, stories about women and the city through this photo exhibition may have have come to an end, there are still many more to be revealed the next time around.

Buble up the city with literature

2009-01-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

By: Annisa Desmiati R

There is an impression that belleslettres could only be enjoyed by a limited few. It’s because literature has been mainly presented in text books that are not easily accessible. While we all know, that reading habbit of Indonesian people is still low, and the high price of books makes it unaffordable for many. So it needs a way out to bring belleslettres closer to it’s devotee.

‘Literature in the City’ is expected to answer that challenge. As a part of the Jakarta Biennale 2009, presented by The Jakarta Arts Council, ‘Literature in the City’ presents literature in a simple way. It’s presented in three different media ; stickers, t-shirts and murals in 10 main spots in Jakarta.

Quotations from poems and proses about Jakarta, by Chairil Anwar, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Sitor Situmorang, Arifin C. Noer, Ajip Rosidi, Yudhistira ANM Massardi, Toeti Heraty Noerhadi, F. Rahardi, Toto Soedarto Bachtiar, Eka Budianta, Pramoedya Ananta Toer etc, will adorn and will became a gaud in the city. ‘Literature in the city’ also quotes old news about Jakarta in the past. They are taken from old newspapers such as Keng Po, Bintang Betawi and Neratja.

The Program Launching

Literature in the City was launched on Saturday, January 10, 2009 at Taman Menteng sites. Marco Kusumawijaya, chair of The Jakarta Arts Council , and Arie Budhiman, Head of DKI Jakarta Tourism and Culture Department were present to officially announced it. Sitor Situmorang and Goenawan Mohamad were among many literati attending the launch.

At least 300 t-shirts and thousand stickers were given out. Hundreds of people circled some poets reading several poems by Yudhistira ANM Massardi, Goenawan Muhammad and Chairil Anwar .

The event sweetly closed with a musical poem presented by Nova Ruth. This young poet presented a poem by Arifin C Noor titled ‘Jakarta’ and another poem ‘Dikawinkan Alam’ by Sitok Srengenge. Nova not only read the poems, but also mixed it up with hip hop rhythm.

Literary in The City

2009-01-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

Launching :
January 10th ,2008
Starting at 16.00 WIB
Taman Menteng - Jakarta Pusat

Agenda :
Murals poetry presentation
Poetry Battle (Nova Ruth)
Poetry and prose reading
Literary t-shirts distribution for the 300 first guests
Literary stickers distribution

Sastra di Ruang Kota (Literary in Public Space) is part of the Jakarta Biennale 2009 held by Jakarta Arts Council. A program in effort to bring the Indonesian literary nearer to its public. Poetry, prose about Jakarta are spread out using three different media ; stickers, t-shirts and murals. The materials of these work are taken from poetry or prose by Ajip Rosidi, Sitor Situmorang, Arifin C. Noer, Chairil Anwar, Goenawan Mohamad, Hamsad Rangkuti, Misbah Yusa Biran, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Toto Sudarto Bachtiar and Yudhistira ANM Massardi. In this opportunity , besides poetry and prose, quotation from printed newspapers about Jakarta during 1900 – 1960, will also be used.

Stickers:
12000 stickers will be distributed at several main public activity since December 31th 2008 until January 10th 2009. Stickers will also be shared at the launching day.

Murals:
Production of 10 murals at 10 main point of Jakarta, starting 24th December up until 6th January 2009 by:

Kudaponi (Jln.Sultan Agung, Dukuh Atas dan Stasiun Cikini)
Ale Antiponi (Jln Pintu Kecil, Pasar Pagi Kota dan Cikini Train Station)
Propagraphic (Jln Pierre Tendean, front of Trans TV dan Semanggi)
Kuas N’Roll (Cakung dan Kwitang, )
Bujangan Urban (Jln TB. Simatupang, Tanjung Barat dan Depan Kebon Binatang Ragunan)

T-shirts :
500 t-shirts will be distributed before and during the launching of the program

For further information,call Mirwan Andan or Shinta Aseani at 021-3193 7639 / 316 2780

Women's Chamber

2008-11-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Women's Chamber
Eight female photographers who have passion to share their stories about the city and the individuals within.
A story when the AREA transform to be an ARENA. A story told in the "Women’s Chamber”.

Curator : Oscar Motulah
Photographers :
Aiko Urfia Rakhmi, Christina Phan, Evelyn Pritt, Julia Sarisetiati, Keke Tumbuan, Malahayati, Ruth Hesti Utami, Stephany Yaya Sungkharisma

Opening
Date : Selasa, 2 Desember 2008
Time : 19.30 WIB
Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki – Galeri Cipta III,
Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73 Jakarta Pusat

Exhibition-1
Date : 2 – 7 Desember ‘08
Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki – Galeri Cipta III
Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73 Jakarta Pusat

Exhibition-2
Date : 9 Desember ’08 – 9 Januari ‘09
Venue : Oktagon - Gallery,
Jl. Gunung Sahari No. 50A Jakarta Pusat

Discussion 'Woman & Photography’
Date : Sabtu, 13 Desember 2008
Time : 14.00 WIB
Venue : Oktagon - Gallery,
Jl. Gunung Sahari No. 50A Jakarta Pusat

‘Artist Talk’
Date : Jum’at, 9 Januari 2009
Time : 18.00 WIB
Venue : Oktagon - Gallery,
Jl. Gunung Sahari No. 50A Jakarta Pusat

Committee of Jakarta Biennale 09

2008-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Director of Jakarta Biennale 09 : M. Firman Ichsan; Artistic Director : Ade Darmawan; Communication Director : M. Abduh Aziz; Finance/ Sponsorship Director : Wati Gandarum; General Affairs Director : Sari Madjid; Consultant : Robert Finlayson; General Secretary : Risnawan; Secretaries : Agustina, Ranti.

Fluid Zone Curator : Agung Hujatnika; Ast. Curator : Nadia Maria; Battle Zone Coordinator : Ardi Yunanto : (Workshop Billboard) : Irwan Ahmett, (Jakarta 32) : Andy Riyanto; Fringe Program Curators (Women Chamber) : Oscar Motuloh, (Invisible Cities) : Farah Wardani.

Artistic Manager [Display/Traffic] : Andrew Linggar; Program Manager [Venues/Events] : Harjuni Rochajati; Communication Manager : Ukke R. Kosasih; Designs : Irwan Ahmett, Banon, Memena; Media Relation : Iwan Seti; Website : Tan Kok Siong, Nina Samidi; Production : Lina ; Documentation : Joel, Eva; Sponsorship : Thilma Komaling, Enita S Robentrop; General Affairs Manager : Lina Pandiangan

Steering Committee : The Jakarta Art Council (JAC); Marco Kusumawijaya (Director of the Jakarta Art Council); Bambang Bujono (Head of the Fine Art Committee of the Jakarta Art Council)

Producer : Wati Gandarum

All Photographs in this blog by : Erik Prasetya

Partnerships

2008-11-20T03:11:00.000-08:00

Organized by :

Partnership :

Info & Contact Us

2008-11-20T02:50:00.000-08:00

For further info, please visit:
www.dkj.or.id
www.jakartabiennale.com

email us:
jakarta.biennale.09@dkj.or.id

call us at:
(+62) 21 - 23782127

Sekretariat Jakarta Biennale XIII 2009
Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73, Jakarta
Indonesia 10330
Ph. (+62) 21 3162780, 31932780, 39899634
Fax. (62) 21 31924616

Publishing Items

2008-11-20T01:09:00.000-08:00

Exhibition Guide Book
Contains general information about the whole of JB ’09 Programs, including schedule, location, and activities in Opening Ceremony, Artist Talks, Seminars, Workshops, and Artist Gatherings. This book will also include location map, brief information about JB ’09 artists, and other exhibition activities at the same time in other galleries in Jakarta.
Language : Indonesian
Designer : Irwan Ahmett (Ahmett Salina)
Edition : 3.000 copies
Distribution : will be distributed for free.

Exhibition Catalogue
This catalogue will be published internationally as an anthology of writings on contemporary arts in Southeast Asia and the works exhibited in JB ’09. The contributors are fine arts experts from Southeast Asia.
1. DR. Thomas Berghuis
A Netherlands born curator, critics, and fine art lecturer who now resides in Australia. He will analyze the phenomenon of artists' mobility in Southeast Asia and art practices resulted from residency programs and artists exchange.
2. Prof. Patrick D. Flores
A Curator, critic, and arts lecturer from Philippines. Will review the history of contemporary arts in Southeast Asia.
3. Adeline Ooi
Curator and critic from Malaysia. Will analyze the trend and current issues in the works of young artists from Southeast Asia.
4. Enin Supriyanto
Curator and critic from Indonesia. Will review the latest development of arts infrastructure in Southeast Asia.
5. Agung Hujatnikajennong
Curator for JB ’09 and critic from Indonesia. Will write about the curatorial theme of JB ’09, Fluid Zone, and the works in exhibition.

3 Zones of ARENA & Programs

2008-11-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

[Understanding] Zone

JB 09 will begin by re-introducing what ARENA actually means; opened with a set of exhibitions and simple activities to raise the people’s awareness about what is going on in the society. This is because the society themselves often do not realize that their rights have been taken away—which can be in the form of personal views that are disturbed by the billboards on streets, or unasked-for advertisement messages on our mobile phones.

Public playgrounds, with the encircling iron fences for cleanliness reasons, turn into empty grounds, which are then considered to have no practical functions and finally demolished as the managers consider them to be a burden. Shopping centers, equipped with children’s amusement parks, were originally meant to facilitate the public to fulfill their household needs, but they have turned into consumptive areas, dominating family’s lives with financial demands.

The forms of exhibition in this phase are “one-sided”, presenting relatively classic murals, talk shows, and the likes. These series of early activities will try to raise our awareness about current issues.

Programs of [UNDERSTANDING ZONE]

I. Events with other organizations

1. Jiffest – Southeast Asian Short Film Section
Screening films on tensions between religiosity/spiritual beliefs and urban society life in Southeast Asia.
Programmer : Varadila and Agung Hujatnikajennong
Participants : 15 young film-makers from Southeast Asia (under 35 years old)
Venue : Kineforum,
Taman Ismail Marzuki, 21 Cineplex, Studio 1,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Date : 5 – 9 December 2008

2. Pesta Sastra Jakarta (Jakarta Literary Festival)
‘Sastra di Ruang Kota’ (Literature in City’s space)
Placing literary works that relate to city’s space or memories in the form of public-art media (stickers, graffiti, posters, etc.)
The placing/distribution of these public art works will depend on the contents or messages of related works.
Hopefully this activity can help introduce literary works and ideas/memory about the city space to a wider public so that these works and ideas can he better appreciated in other forms.
Participants : Literary persons and public space artists
Venue : Taman Menteng,
Jl. Hos Cokroaminoto, Menteng, Jakarta
Date : 10 January 2009

3. Festival Teater Jakarta (Jakarta Theatre Festival)
‘Teater Multimedia’ (‘Multimedia Theatre’).
Discussion : A discussion about the collaboration between multimedia and theatres, which one often encounters in many performances
Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Date : 19 – 30 December 2008.
Performance by : Studio Teater Indonesia & Teater Syahid
Venue : Teater Kecil, Taman Ismail Marzuki,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Date : 19 – 30 December 2008.

4. Gelar Koreografi Kota/GKK (City’s Choreography Festival)
GKK will be an annual program. Beginning in 2008, this event consists of performances by 4 choreographers (the creation process of each artist will be supported by a team that gives input on the musical, fine arts, and choreography aspects, containing urban themes) and Street Dance Competition for public. The venue is to be decided later (indoor/outdoor), but will use the lanes used in Jakarta Biennale ‘09.
Kencan Tari (Dance Workshop)
Kencan Tari comprises workshop the role of drama in choreography, as an approach to interfere in to the choreography. There will be 8 to 18 choreographers that will be introduced by this approach.
These choreographers will work based on the theme ‘urban’. Their proposal will be selected. The selected dance will perform in “The City Choreography Show” on February 2009.
Date : 24 – 30 November 2009
Instructor : Tang Fu Kuen (Singapore)
Target of participant : Invitation (participants of Kencan Tari 2007)

II. Fringe Events

Photo Exhibition
A photo exhibition on problems in modern city space of Southeast Asia and its connection with the community’s daily lives.

a. Mapping Invisible Cities II
Curator : Farah Wardani
Artists : 29 photographers from Southeast Asia
Venue : Goethe Institut Jakarta,
Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9-15, Jakarta
Date : 9 – 27 February 2009

b. Ruang Perempuan (Women’s Room)
Curator : Oscar Motuloh
Artists : 8 young Indonesian women photographers
[Part. 1]
Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Date : 2 – 7 December 2008
[Part. 2]
Venue : Oktagon - Gallery,
Jl. Gunung Sahari No. 50A Jakarta Pusat
Date : 9 December 2008 – 9 January 2009
13 December 2008, 14:00 WIB (Discussion 'Woman & Photography')
9 January 2009, 18:00 WIB (Artist Talk)

Children interaction in mall

a. Comics and Picture Exhibition from Juvenile Offenders from the Tangerang Detention Centre
Exhibition of comics and pictures from children about their dreams, imaginations, and views on the ideal city space.
Venue : Promenade Senayan City,
Jln. Asia Africa Lot. 19, Jakarta
Date : 1 – 7 February 2009.

b. Comics Workshop for Juvenile Offenders
Venue : Tangerang Detention Centre,
Jl. Daan Mogot No. 29C, Tangerang
Date : 20 – 27 November 2008.
Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Ruang Rupa,
Jl. Tebet Barat Dalam I No. 26, Jakarta

[Battle] Zone

This program consists of a series of workshops and exhibitions that involve many cross-discipline practitioners to review the context of the contemporary spaces in Jakarta and to create new spaces for the public. This entails not only new spaces in its physical term, but also spaces for ideas that relate to many things which might affect the city’s development, such as the technology, economy, politics, history, and the public. The documentation of the project and workshop’s artifacts (outdoor billboards and on-site specific projects) will be displayed in the Fluid Zone section.

This zone focuses on the creation of spaces that facilitate and mediate new ideas in physical and mental terms, to create encounters and public spaces, so that the art, artists, and the public can interact and appreciate one another.

Artworks existing in a certain public space with the special characteristic of the site—spatially, socially, historically, publicly, and politically—become the most important elements. Works in the public space interact directly with unselected audiences: the audience can interact with the works and appreciate them without any distance. The public turns into active participants, becoming neither distant nor passive.

The society as the art public, which naturally should be the most important focus here, has inadequate access to enjoy and appreciate art. The lack of information and publication about art has made art activities or art discourses fail to become a far-reaching discourse in the society. Therefore, it makes sense to say that there is a need to have a structure in which the society does not only become the “target” of art, but, more importantly, they can be the subject of art. Also, there is the need of a new structure in which the public can engage with art, directly and indirectly, and become the subject of the art process.

Art activities that are based on problems in the community and urban milieu in Jakarta become an important thing to be used as a starting point to create a new art public that have never been touched by art before—for example the students, youth, workers, and the society in general. More popular avenues should also be used, for example by employing youth-segmented radio and internet. By maintaining and developing the new public, hopefully art can be better appreciated and become a far-reaching cultural discourse.

Art and technology and their relation and impact in society will be the focus of discussion in all activities. We bring out this focus of discussion because the development of technology in these years has been affecting our point of view in seeing “the reality”. Audio-visual media offers us new realities and “truth” that are increasingly more attractive and impressive. Furthermore, this leads to a new reality that can change the social condition. Other themes that we will present are: the phenomenon of community radio and television, the development of computers and games technology, and the virtual reality.

Series of exhibition, the workshop emphasizes on the effort to create new creativity rooms, by artists, community, or collaboration of both, in which the artists play the role as the guides that control the media.

Programs of [BATTLE ZONE]

Outdoor Urban Billboard Workshop
A workshop on creating art works in the public space, in the form of billboards and presented in ten advertisement boards on the main streets of Jakarta. Ten artists and designers would be involved in this workshop, under the guidance of Irwan Ahmett, a graphic artist and designer who has produced many works in public spaces.
Conducted by : Irwan Ahmett
Theme (optional, working theme): “Jakarta urban society” or “What is art, today?”

Workshop
Venue : Ruangrupa,
Jl. Tebet Timur Dalam Raya No. 6, Jakarta 12820
Date : 10 – 28 November 2008 (4 classes)
Execution : 5 – 14 December 2008

Project
Date : 15 December 2008 – 8 March 2009.
Venue : Blok M bus terminal, Pancoran Fly Over, Jatinegara, Kelapa Gading Boulevard, Mangga Dua,Gunung Sahari, Kota, Fly Over Kuningan, Fly Over Sudirman – Thamerin, Dukuh Atas, Manggarai Terminal, Gatot Subroto, Plaza Senayan.

On-Site-Specific Projects (Redefining Space and Memories)
A workshop on art work creation in public spaces in the form of on-site specific works, interactive, photography, works with public media which will be presented on public spaces in Jakarta.
Conducted by : Ardi Yunanto
Participants : 14 persons (artists, historian, architects, street artists)
Theme : Redefining space and memories
Workshop Venue : Taman Ismail Marzuki,
Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta Pusat
Date : 10 – 28 November 2008 (8 classes)
Execution : 5 – 14 December 2008
Exhibition : 15 December 2008 – 8 March 2009
Project Venue : abandoned buildings, train stations, museums, parks, traffic lights, and houses of worship.

Jakarta 32°Showcase Program
Exhibition of students’ and young artists’ works of art who have been presented in the Jakarta 32° biennales (2004, 2006, 2008), organized by 'ruangrupa', in the form of presentation in public spaces.
Project Venue : Atrium Senayan City,
Jln. Asia Africa Lot. 19, Jakarta
Date : 1 – 7 February 2009

[Fluid] Zone
International Fine Art Exhibition

Started from the town, to the district, and the country. Should the two previous stages focused on works regarding town, this stage would be wider.

At a glance one will realize that the title ‘ARENA’ contains many possibilities of clashes, even conflicts, which can lead to a deadly battlefield if we don’t handle it well. Of course nobody expects such things to happen.

In this phase, our curator Agung Hujatnikajennong tells us again that actually the overlapping processes in various cultures and interests have taken place since a long time ago in the city, country, and geopolitical area where we live, especially after the concepts of “nation-state” and modern cities were applied by post-colonial society. The word ‘Fluid’, which has the negative meaning of being weak when one culture occupies another, yet it positively has the meaning of having the ability to absorb various culture that form a synthesize culture at each country in this region.

In the current time frame, the curator presents two approaches in the theme of the Fluid Zone. This exhibition consists of two sections, i.e. Traffic and On the Map. “On the Map” section will present Southeast Asian young artists whose reputations have been nationally and internationally acknowledged. This section will exhibit art works that represent contemporary problems that the Southeast Asia communities face nowadays, particularly the problems of cities, identities, geopolitical area, and room to maneuver.

The “Traffic” section will present international artists who had been resident artists or visiting artists to the Southeast Asian countries, whose works represent specific viewpoints on the Southeast Asian cultures and societies. This exhibition, basically, wants to invite us to think critically and creatively, and furthermore serves as a warning and perhaps provides answers to existing problems.

Curator : Agung Hujatnikajennong

Programs of [FLUID ZONE]

Opening Ceremony
Venue : Nasional Museum,
Jl. Merdeka Barat No. 12, Jakarta Pusat
Date : Friday, 6 February 2009
Host : Governor of DKI Jakarta

Artist Gathering
Venue : National Gallery,
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14, Jakarta
Date : Friday, 6 February 2009
Guest stars : Yason Banal (The Philippines), Goodnight Electric (Jakarta)

Seminar
Venue : National Gallery,
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14, Jakarta
Date : Friday, 13 February 2009
Speakers : Dr. Thomas Berghuis (Australia), Prof. Patrick D. Flores (Philippine), Nuraini Juliastuti (Indonesia)
Moderator : Enin Supriyanto (Jakarta)

Artist Talk I
Venue : National Gallery
Date : Sunday, 8 February 2009
Artists : Phil Collins (UK), Video Babes (Indonesia), Khairuddin Hori (Singapore), Donna Ong (Singapore)

Artist Talk II
Venue :
(Jompet & David Griggs)
Institut Kesenian Jakarta,
Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73 Komp. Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta
(Irwan Ahmett & Sherman Ong)
Universitas Tarumanegara,
Jl. Letjen S. Parman No.1, Jakarta
(Yason Banal & Eko Nugroho)
Universitas Indonesia - Fakultas Ilmu Bahasa,
Kampus Universitas Indonesia, Depok
Date : Monday, 9 February 2009

Press Conference
Venue : National Gallery,
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14, Jakarta
Date : Thursday, 29 January 2009

Kids & Youth Workshop I
This workshop involves junior and high school students, inviting them to make kinetic art objects from recycled electronic devices/components.
Target of participants : SMP & SMU students
Artist : Jompet (Yogyakarta)
Venue : National Gallery
Date : Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Duration : 1 day (2 groups/2 sessions)

Kids & Youth Workshop II: Comics
This workshop will involve SMP & SMU students to make comics.
Target of participants : SMP & SMU students
Artist : Eko Nugroho (Yogyakarta)
Venue : National Gallery
Date : 24 February 2009
Duration : 1 day (2 groups /2 sessions)

ARENA

2008-11-19T22:23:00.000-08:00

ARENA

Jakarta, a city that covers an area of 661 square kilometers with 11.5 million inhabitants, continues to develop rapidly as a very crowded urban city. Like other urban cities, Jakarta also suffers from the loss of its social functions, which in this case is about the loss of the potentials of its citizens as social creatures. This happens due to various but interconnecting reasons, as well as to other factors such as the economic and political conditions. The city’s spatial development has been focusing more on the economical and physical aspects rather than on the social or individual aspects. The individuals in the city’s structure are seen more as the object of the system. With all the flaws in the urban system, individuals in the society are currently in a battlefield to fight for space, both the economic and the physical space. Everything has been set aside to gain economic growth, without adequate attention toward the cultural aspects. This leads to the lack of public and cultural spaces where the society can identify themselves as social creatures, instead of as machines or alienated human beings. It is a difficult thing for us to secure a certain space that can serve as the place to mediate cultural discourses. All aspects of urban life have been dominated by the industrial, commercial spaces, and obviously by authority-dominated spaces. Jakarta Biennale 2009 (JB 09), as an extensive celebration of art, will serve as an attempt to turn art into a reform strategy, engaging the urban subjects, enabling the creative, reflective, and critical ideas to give rise to new spaces that can be more inspiring, participative, and tolerant.