Katerina Valdivia Bruch

Recorded Waves. Moving Images from Indonesia.

Opening: November 19th, 2010, 7 pm
Exhibition: November 20th, 2010 - January 16th, 2011

Curated by Katerina Valdivia Bruch

Artists: Muhammad Akbar, Tiong Ang, Nala Atmowiloto, Wimo Ambala Bayang, Ari Satria Darma, Henry Foundation, Krisna Murti, Eko Nugroho, Anggun Priambodo, Wok The Rock, Prilla Tania and Tintin Wulia.

The exhibition Recorded Waves: Moving Images from Indonesia is presented simultaneously with Third Realm, a solo exhibition of Indonesian artist Kuswidananto aka Jompet, curated by Para/Site´s Executive Director and Curator Alvaro Rodríguez Fominaya.

Curatorial text

The use of video for artistic purposes in Indonesia dates back to the late 1980s, when pioneers Krisna Murti, Teguh Ostentrik and Heri Dono, began to experiment with video in order to expand the scope of their artistic creations. However, the influence of video in contemporary art in Indonesia is not the result of innovations within the artistic field; rather it is a critical positioning towards the entertainment industry and, above all, a critique of television.

During Suharto’s dictatorship from 1967 to 1998, the government television channel Televisi Republik Indonesia was manipulated and controlled for propaganda purposes. However, with the growing market in Indonesia in the late 80s and early 90s, the entertainment industry grew and new television channels appeared. Video rental stores and video readers for private use also began to proliferate. Thus, home cinema emerged as an alternative to the unilateral view presented by the government.

In the late 1990s, and particularly during the fall of Suharto in 1998, video played an important role as an instrument of denunciation against unacceptable social and political events. These videos showed messages that went beyond what was presented and accepted by the government, and documented the reality that the government was hiding from its people. In Indonesia, both in politics and in art, video has been used as a means of documentation and as a means of creating images that respond to specific social and political contexts.

Since 2003, the artists’ initiative ruangrupa has been organising the OK. Video – Jakarta International Video Festival, which takes place biannually in Jakarta. One of the aims of the festival is to raise awareness of video in a creative sense and to introduce the medium to mainstream audiences. The festival is thematic and, since its first edition, internationally conceived. It also gives particular emphasis to the content rather than technical experimentations of the medium, echoing the origins of Indonesian video art. The social and political context of the work is important for the selection of videos featured in the festival.

The exhibition Recorded Waves: Moving Images from Indonesia includes highlights of this festival, as well as ground-breaking positions of video art from Indonesia with works by pioneer video artist Krisna Murti, as well as emerging and established artists, such as Tiong Ang, Muhammad Akbar, Henry Foundation, Nala Atmowiloto, Wimo Ambala Bayang, Ari Satria Darma, Eko Nugroho, Anggun Priambodo, Prilla Tania, Wok The Rock and Tintin Wulia.

About Para/ Site Art Space

Para/Site Art Space is a contemporary art space located in Hong Kong Island and founded in 1996. It hosts an ambitious programme of exhibitions, screenings, talks and events that bring into Hong Kong some of the leading practitioners in the international arena, encourage the visibility of artists from Hong Kong, and facilitate East-West dialogue. Para/Site has a satellite venue located at Hanart TZ Gallery which showcases a younger generation of artists.

Para/Site Art Space has organized the official representation of Hong Kong in Venice Biennial in years 2003 and 2009, has also participated in Gwangju Biennial, Guangzhou Triennial, among others. Para/Site Art Space exhibitions and programmes have traveled to Germany, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia.

Para/Site Art Space is run by a Executive Director/Curator, a Manager, a Programme Coordinator and an Education and Development Officer and governed by a board of directors. Para/Site is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council as well as vital contributions from patrons and Founding Friends of Para/Site.

Address:
Para/Site Art Space
G/F 4 Po Yan Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Curator’s research supported by Goethe Institute (grant for curators).
Special thanks to ruangrupa for their collaboration.

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