[re-enacting memories]
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LIVE WORKS (in collaboration with Sinta Wibowo)
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2022 [re-enacting memories] with you II
2020-2021 and ongoing [re-enacting memories] with you
2019 [re-enacting memories] with Unsung Heroes
2018 [re-enacting memories] with RoCK
2017 [re-enacting memories] with TAN Vatey
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[re-enacting memories] is an itinerant and sideways-shifting series of "performative exhibitions" that combine the experimental practices of visual artist Tan Vatey’s interest in co-creating art with others and festivalmaker Sinta Wibowo's exploration of various relationalities through art. It's an ongoing research & development of their proposal for “consensual art”, the art of sensing together, the practice of empathy and compassion.
[re-enacting memories] with you II
2022
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TRESHOLD - tiSamjort exhibition with Sao Sreymao, Neak Sophal, Tan Vatey & Say Tola
Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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"Threshold" is the first group exhibition by tiSamjort artists, introducing new artworks by Tan Vatey, Neak Sophal, and Sao Sreymao, and this text by Say Tola. Through artworks in diverse forms from photographs, sculptures, and installations, the exhibition speaks about experiences, feelings, and new perspectives of the artists arising from the shifting environments, societal changes, attempts to reconcile, and endeavors in seeking new ways to face the unique turning point of the social order as much as the natural course of life.
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"[re-enacting memories] with you II" continues Tan Vatey’s interest in co-creating art with others and explores a variety of relationalities through art. This new work follows experiments in Brussels, Phnom Penh, and Jakarta of "[re-enacting memories]" that has been developed in collaboration with Sinta Wibowo since 2017, researching “consensual art”, the art of sensing together, the practice of empathy and compassion.
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For this exhibition, the art installation wants to create a space of “release and relief” which the artist feels is needed in times of rapid urban development and the haste of modern life, especially when our movements became more restricted since the pandemic outbreak. Peer pressure, social tension and governmental restrains feed our surroundings and situations with more and more stress... till something might break.
In a letter, the artist says hi and offers people to have a “break” together... that’s where the co-creation starts! Glass objects, a hammer, protection gear, a chair, a table, colourful paper, textile bags, ropes, a wall... are made available for visitors to express their mood and let out inner-stress if they want. Day in, day out, their actions transform the artwork that will grow into a barometer of collective feelings of the city and its people.
"[re-enacting memories]" is an itinerant and sideways-shifting series of poetic and playful interventions, based on the remediating power of shifting our memories that are shaping our present reality.
"Threshold" brings together perspectives of four female artists based on their personal experiences, yet relatable to many. Whether as a community member of a rapidly changing society, a woman who becomes a mother for the first time, or a self-mediator, these artists provide a platform for deep reflection and critical observation on some key issues that occur behind the “threshold” of the Covid-19 pandemic. They also raise some propositions on questioning and facing the new turn of society and the course of the life cycle that remain relevant beyond the pandemic.
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[re-enacting memories] with you
2020-2021 and ongoing
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Stories Across Rising Lands | curated by JEON Jeong-ok & Asep TOPAN
Museum MACAN | Jakarta, Indonesia
Part of the KONNECT ASEAN
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Installation contains wooden text, mirror, a hand-written letter, hand sanitizer, indoor plant, wooden shelf, wooden bar, grabber, hanger, various fabrics (scarf, handkerchief, pillowcase & pillow, flag, bath towel, kitchen towel, face mask), TV, photo slideshow, black marker. 240 x 400 cm
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[re-enacting memories] with you was commissioned for the group exhibition "Stories Across Rising Lands" with works of fellow artists -in reversed alphabetical order- Souliya Phoumivong, Saleh Husein, Ho Rui An, Nge Lay, Maharani Mancanagara, Lim Kok Yoong, Kawita Vatanajyankur and Cian Dayrit. Co-curator JEON Jeong-ok saw images of [re-enacting memories] with Unsung Heroes and wanted us to create new work in the same spirit, yet adjusted to the Indonesian context and Museum Macan's space and responding to covid-times. We were excited to think about her question about how interpret "togetherness & trust" in times of physical distancing and reduced social interactions, while in-house curator Asep TOPAN was interested to know more about artistic practices in other cultures in the South-East Region. We combined those two questions and started our research speaking with fellow arts practitioners in South-East Asia and their diaspora. It felt important to include the diaspora as some of them stranded in confinement elsewhere in the world, while they were in an artist residency or on tour. We wanted to check in with them to see if they were okay, isolated and far away from their families, picking up Stories Across...
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During these “covid care conversations” we had with arts practitioners, I channeled the energies I felt during our online talks onto paper with ink. The online talks generated a series of about 50 ink drawings and became a barometer visualizing the level of pressure, dynamics, fluctuations, emotions around. These energy drawings gave a basis for our installation where the question “h o w i s y o u r w e a t h e r t o d a y?” became an invitation to start conversations around our moods, inside and outside. The weather changes from day to day and it turned into an ideal metaphor to let us experience how impermanent each moment in life is, how feelings can fade out while another situation is fading in. Having a talk around the weather, used to be a way for strangers to connect through outside elements and share moments of togetherness, mediated by the weather. This more indirect approach of connecting and speaking with “How is Your Weather Today?” sparked a more unconventional opening phrase leaving space to circulate with the circumstances than the more linear and direct relation that questions like “How are you?” or “How do you do?” provoke. We're attracted to not only focus on the human experience, separate from its environment because what is going on inside is often affected by what is happening outside and around us.
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It was the first time to work in tele-creation & tele-realisation with people we had not yet collaborated before nut had to find alignment between heads & hands. Probably that is the kind of blindest date you can imagine, stepping into the mutual unknown. Mutual Unknown was the group exhibition in 2017 at Galeri Nasional Indonesia where we met and became partners, inspired to experiment more through [re-enacting memories]: we are always re-enacting our memories; we are where we are because of certain memories we kept and other memories we let go of. In [re-enacting memories] with you, we explore types of relational art, that goes beyond the visual aspects, working with wu-wei from Taoist understandings to cross paths with answers around "togetherness & trust" in covid-safe ways. The process of co-creation even transformed and deepened the theme into "trust in togetherness", being together with everyone and everything around, whether in accord or discord. Whichever memories from the past we are re-enacting to in the present, patterns can be dismantled and minds expand in collaboration when trying other ways unexplored. Exploration seems to be a skill that comes in handy during pandemics, pushing us out of certain habits.
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This process had a lot of things in common with a long pregnancy: a moment of conception, creation and nurturing, but also with hazardous situations that could lead to abortion. Somehow [re-enacting memories] with you had a premature birth and suffered a few handicaps, seeing its first light. Exactly those diffabilities made us move with our creation in different senses and explore other relations at each step. We were blessed that [re-enacting memories] with you came under the nurturing care of Agan Agustian, the museum assistant who was facilitating the group exhibition where several artworks invite people interaction. Having such a sensible caretaker for this kind of creation, the relational art went further into consensual art: the art of sensing together not necessarily within conventional ways.
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In art, our interest and curiosity lie in the power of poetics and making a myriad of connections (more than its power politics, when art is used as a mirror to reflect society or hammer to shape reality), art as a medium without too much ego, to connect: how art can propose an infinite variety of relationalities, how it can create conversations and even frictions that suddenly reveal our values suddenly visible, shakes us awake. We’re less attracted in word fights or battles which one is better or inferior, but look up the exchange and how certain interactions make us feel, think, act… in accord or discord. Open up relationalities: we observed that museums often have guards for surveillance & crowd control to oversee that people “do not touch the artwork”, but in the context of Stories Across Rising Lands, we wanted to reverse that convention and see what that generates. In the idea of “trust and togetherness” the first thing we thought of was to let people “touch the artwork” and they can even “touch the artists”, if they’d like! We wanted to see what happens if every touch, every manipulation, every reflection of the artwork is considered as “added value” to the artwork, where each interaction co-creates the work, gains meaning, becoming a mosaic or patchwork of the multiple relations between people it creates in a variety of manifestations. For [re-enacting memories] with you, the museum assistant would become a facilitator in connection more than a guard on duty. With the caring personality of Agan, the museum assistant even became a person to confide in where people trusted him with their feelings and the stories behind them.
Let us try to describe the artwork. After 10 months, we reunited in Belgium the day before the second lockdown started on 1st November 2020. From our quarantine, we wrote this letter below to the people in Jakarta visiting Museum Macan and send it over from Belgium to Indonesia by postal mail:
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Jakarta, some time in 2021
Hey you,
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How is your weather today?
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We are curious to know…. So if you like, you can use the hangers to express your weather & mood on the wall. Enjoy! We also like to make a photo of it and make it part of a collection of weathers… Just ask someone from the museum to help make a photo. Oh… don’t forget to write your name to the credits if you want. Great having you here with us!
Thank you for taking care of yourself & others, better to wash your hands before & after!
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Have a day!
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Vatey & Sinta
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P.S: Sorry to let you know that in Coronatimes we have to limit interaction to one person per day. So, the first visitor who likes to create their weather, can share it with all of us… Hope you can sense their weather & mood as much as your own.
The letter was placed next to a round mirror which had wooden letters “How is your weather today?” written above on a 9 meter wall, were we created a playful installation as following:
Throughout the exhibition, most pictures of the exhbition were taken with the mirror. What attracted so many to make a selfie with the mirror with "How is your weather today?" that seem to have some magic. At the same time, it is interesting to remark that the aesthetics of our art installation were heavily affected by the fact that we could not make it with our own hands nor could we be on the spot, being in lockdown without any travel possibilities. Everything had to be created virtually and on distance. Working with the museum as your hands, is not as flexible or agile as making an installation yourself, so instead we decided to go for materials and elements that were ready-made, clickable and deliverable to the Museum. That brought us to aesthetics that came quite close to the fashion of popular brands like Uniqlo and Ikea, offering mass-produced consumer items in democratic/affordable prices because of economics of scale. Modern design is quite remote from our usual aesthetics, that are more handcrafted, uniquely made and often with traditional techniques. Covid had made "our ways of working" less feasible and moved us out of our habits, yet as we focused on the “relational” aspects of the work, we could easily reconcile with the thought that this modern style might attract younger audiences or people who have different taste than us. Consumer goods might give them a feeling that they can touch these fabrics as if browsing through a store. We wanted them to be close with the installation, even to feel a belonging or some type of ownership over it. The choices of materials we made seemed to facilitate enough comfort around the work to allow touch and co-creators took their time between 15 to 25 minutes to check in with how they felt their weathers that day and share it by composing different fabrics for display.
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In the sphere of modernity, we also went a bit Warholian, offering people their minutes of fame, or here for the rest of the exhibition run as they could sign the impeccable white walls of the museum with their names if they wanted to, becoming part of the art installation. Like graffiti, a variety of handwritings grew organically in all directions on the wall from people who seem to take pride in being part of the installation. The communication between art and art viewer, was not one-directional any longer, they could have their weather & their name on display, even have their say as some co-creators made drawings or wrote a message for others.
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When we were informed that the museum’s protocol is to destroy the copy of the artwork, we thought that dispersing the artwork would be an interesting way to give to the people and also an occasion to interact with them. This experiment also explores value, co-ownership, attachment, literal deconstruction, the original, sharing & caring, hosting, guardianship... Looking for ways how people could touch the artists who are not present or have not even touch their own artwork, we reached out with another proposal with our contact details and asked them: “Want a piece of Art?”.
The paper "Want a piece of art? "prepares the redistribution of the art installation among people who are interested to host the pieces in their homes. What followed were a series of whatsapp messages and e-mails with requests to our address which became a starting point for small talk, interesting exchanges and also quite a few deep conversations that stretched over time. These connections between complete strangers were at times so heartwarming that this experience grew our wish to return to Jakarta in covid calmer times and gather the people who co-created [re-enacting memories] with you. We would throw a nongkrong party in honor of togetherness & trust, where we reassemble the installation in one way or another, to run for another cycle! All of the co-creators that are stangers to each other, do have things in common: they came to Macan, they live in Jakarta, they have affinity for contemporary arts and they are not too shy to say hi to strangers like us or to a strange situation like creating your weather on the wall. This is partially a re-enactment of the memory of Mutual Unknown, offering generous moments of encounter, which was how us two met as well… Time & pe/ace have the potential to develop trust and turn strangers into friends and even family! By letting everything and everyone in their own rhythm, no push and pull, respecting the pace can invite more peace inside and between people, and in the end, maybe more peace outside in the world.
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In moments of reflections with friends and colleagues around [re-enacting memories] with you, we thought of how besides laws, conventions & traditions, there are different social innovations constantly engineering relationships between state & citizen, husbands & wives, parents & kids, masters & slaves, etc… certainly in times where imperialism & capitalism benefits from dividing us from each other and even in ourselves, reducing trust and togetherness. Define & conquer, by sending out constant messages to make sure that we are not fine, else we don’t “need” anything. Creating needs by making us feel, we are “not good enough” where we are, else they cannot sell us any products, services and diploma’s to make profit from. Taking away trust between people and breaking up organic connections, are ways so that middlemen & systems can structurally take over the relation and sell their preferred and profitable mediation-on-offer. Responding to the trend of fear politics with stranger danger and “never enough” where endless needs are created, we are searching how to give experiences where we can take the risk to connect with the strange(r) and the unknown and maybe even connect more with ourselves and move more closely to one’s own sense, without external or internal(ized) judgment. Once we have experienced “trust” of doing what we usually don’t do, avoid to be, resist, we feel trust is out there. If we experience more of those moments of trust in life, we probably will search for it more and also look for the conditions in which we can be with trust.
The practice of [re-enacting memories] with you around togetherness and trust, we feel is part of the Immaterial Commons that can be shared with more people, certainly in societies and cultures where trust between people is disappearing for the sake of development that pushes us away from where we are, defined as not developed enough. The narrative of progress pushed humans into the practice of development: "development aid, urban development and more personally "self-development" with achievement as its goal. Along with hacktivist and conservative anarchist, Audrey Tang, now Digital Minister of Taiwan, we’re keen on further research on how these types of social innovations can inspire more people to trust, along initiatives as Pen Pal also with prisoners, elderly and people we might be less in connection with socially, as well as Couchsurfing, BeWelcome, TrustRoots, platforms where people are open to host for free, meet a stranger and organize gatherings voluntarily without capitalisation but circulation. For the future, we’ll research how a project as [re-enacting memories] with you, can offer to others online and offline experiences to meet someone new and strange in covid-safe ways!
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To be continued!
Warmly,
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Vatey & Sinta
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Ps: here you also have a look at the 360° experience of [re-enacting memories] with you where the words of our letter got animated by Pheanouk’s hand and Oni’s voice! https://www.museummacan.org/exhibition/stories-across-rising-lands
Pps: you can listen too an artist talk with fellow artists of Stories Across Rising Lands that took place on 26 February 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQfPmrzNY4
[re-enacting memories] with you was vitalized by Arif Agustian aka Agan and in the realization we want to thank Jeong-ok Jeon, Asep Topan, Dian Ina Mahendra, Aaron Seeto, Erliana Sumali, Fida Irawanto, Galuh Anindito, Renjana Widyakirana, Muhammad Ari Kurniawan, Handung Kityono, Iwan Sri Hartoko, Okiner Dananto, Dio Prakasa, Dipay, Enarldo Tadya Girardi, Ratri Anindyajati, Rury Avianti, Pheanouk Tan, Monih Tan
CO-CREATORS
“Want a piece of art” collectors
Dhea Dila, Jielady, Saraya, Jacqueline, Raphael, Khansa, Anna & Ricos, Meidina, Anli, Jillian, Nethania, Gariella, Aretha, Elanra, Natalie, Muhammad, Khalisa, Diana, Monica Devi, Gisela
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“How is your weather today?” collective
Shelo & Siti, Putii & Hanief, Jonathan Kriss, Anastasia Wijaya, Awdry & Caroline, Andrieta & Jeffry, Irayani & Rizki, Kana, Fia, Yusrika & Egie, Sherly & Sisca, Chika & Salvira, Kyana, Daniel & Abeth, Monica, Tabest & Putra, Alyosha, Kresentia, Jennifer & Najla, Daffa & Felicia, Dokter Cilukba, Ajeng, Cica, Nimas, & Asma, Rainer & Mulyo, Joey, Johunnu, & Ibam, Nabil & Salma, Serly & Elsa, Nadya & Aulia, Della, Cetta & Tabiya, Florence & Alexander, Alina & Theia, Sungam, Renny & Khafi, Kevin, Chloe, Scarlete & Askamo, Efata & Irene, Ega & Adhit, Rita & Marcel, Helen, Cindy, & Marcella, Anung, Treza, Bilyan, & Annisa, Riri & Mimin, Adeline & Evelyn, Averina & Putri, Elle, Ros, & Delma, Matt & Anne, Rocks, Fasya, Lia, Elsa, Mar, Sakina, Angel, & Alifia, William, Adit, Dinar, & Jessica, Oktivia & Cut Hasna, Albert, Pinkan & Ayu, Audriel & Gabby, Theresya & Marsha, Siany, Aiko, Meiko, & Luneke, Ravantie & Tania, Adam Priadi, Natasia & Wibawanto, Jessica, Mita, & Via, Zarra Zefanya, Rika & Julian, Hendra, Anna Josefin, Fajri & Earlene, Khalisa & Hilya, Pip & Erich, Yenyen & Keenan, Shifa & Zaydan, Deanella & Rya, Chikta & Osie, Bulan, Elfa, Angie, Thearosa & Matthias, Fira & Bunda Iin, Varischa & Olivia, Jeong Ok Jeon & Asep Topan, Dita & Nanda, Daniella & Anastasia, Glen & Tata, Iman's Family, Anabella, Ribka & Ronald, Allison & Odvult, Acika & Ninda, Nicko, Dela, Hana & Haekal, Matthew & Vanessia, Raisha & Alwan, Yeyen & Reni, Supri & Acok.
Covid-care conversations with
Fu Kuen, Henry, Firdaus, Leonard, Dian, Wenchi, Panca, Joanne, Bu Menuk, Djohan, Romo, Ines, Felia, Panca, Karen
[re-enacting memories] with Unsung Heroes
2019
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Arts4Peace Festival organised by Cambodian Living Arts
Institute for Foreign Languages | Chaktomuk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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[re-enacting memories] with Unsung Heroes is an exhibition, giving homage to 25 artists from the different provinces in Cambodia and sharing their inspiring stories with others. Most of them have lived during Pol Pot times when 90 % of artists have been eliminated by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975-1979. Now 40 years later, these women and men still practice their arts, giving their time and effort to preserve and transmit their art forms within their communities.
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The installation displays 25 portraits & stories and wants to unite 25 artists in 3 star constructions. We decided not to single out each individual artist, but making them all part of a bigger arts community. For the Opening Ceremony of the Arts4Peace festival, the 25 artists were invited to Phnom Penh, which brought us to the idea to let them all sit together and connect in a "Circle of Wise". This re-enactment of gathering around a symbolic bonfire, with each individual symbolised as a flame in the radiating stars, wants to instigate a larger fire to exchange stories, memories and experiences with the passion we can relate to the arts. The gathering doesn't happen on chairs or in an exclusive VIP-space, instead we sit on handwoven mats made by communities of weavers. These mats allow movement and creates equal ground for the meeting. Letting (power) dynamics shift, we try to create a space where everyone can connect more informally with one and other and have relaxing moments for easy conversations with the persons behind the portraits. Our concern was how to let everyone be present and level with each other, while Heroism carries a strongly formatted convention of acting as an "outstanding, remarkable or excellent role model" for people to look up to and follow. We were inspired by what a successful and charismatic musician once shared with us: He used to feel quite isolated and couldn't be himself when he needed to be a superstar for other people. The hype around him in early years was strong: all girls wanted to be with him and all boys wanted to be him. Everyone was attracted to him as an unreachable star, shining high up in the sky. Keeping up that perfect image, made him feel lonely and also reduced him to one dimension of himself, namely what he was good at for others. It started to become stressful because with his human flaws, he felt that he could easily fall and disappoint others who lifted him up as their hero. Awarding Heroes & Saints can also create stress to others if people feel that they need to live up to certain standards, if the hero's excellence makes other people feel less capable or if awarding certain yet not others, makes unselected artists feel less appreciated or less-worthy. With the Unsung Heroes installation we hope to have created some kind of "presence, proximity, connection and inspiration" more than the stress that comes along with "presentation, elevation, instrumentalisation and admiration". The exhibition tries to "nourish a culture" by honoring selfless acts cultivating the common well-being rather than to "nurture a cult" for the goal of individual wealth, pride, fame or power.
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[re-enacting memories] is an itinerant and sideways-shifting series of poetic and playful interventions, based on the remediating power of shifting memories that are shaping our present reality.
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Credits for Unsung Heroes Project: Project Coordination: SO Phina, Art Installation: TAN Vatey | Sinta WIBOWO | TAN Sokharin​ | Kuy community Bangkoeun Phal village, Preah Vihear, Khmer text | English text: SO Phina | Frances RUDGARD, Researchers: AN Raksmey | CHHUN Kimly | KONG Gne | LUN Chomneth | OU
Buntheng | PHARN Sotheara | SAY Tola | TOCH Borin | UNG Channy, Heroes: Venerable PIN Sem | AOK Ang | BRAK Born | BRAK Se | CHEA Sary | CHEAM Chrip | CHEAV Chorng | EN Saren | KHA Sros | KHUNG Run |
KLOTH Sameth | MAO Sophorn | MEAS Hern | NHEK Kosal | NOB Saet | PIN Phon | POUV Eang | RIM Saosi | ROS Samoeurn | SEAN Sophal | SO Phuong | SORNG Prou | Sou Phalla | SREY Bandaul | THACH Soly. Special thanks to KRY Seyha | KEAT Sokim | ROS Samnang | VANN Sopheavouth
and all interviewed artists
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[re-enacting memories] with RoCK
2018
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10th anniversary of Rainbow Community Kampuchea aka RoCK
The Mansion, Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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[re-enacting memories] with RoCK is an experiential exhibition, inviting everyone to be present in the spirit of RoCK and explore their 10 years of existence and activities. To celebrate this together, visitors are welcome to co-create the different spaces at The Mansion, an old building from the French colonial times. [re-enacting memories] facilitated different interventions to add to the festivities of the memorable day of 30th December 2018:
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One space is home to the "RoCK plantation" with pictures of 10 years of RoCK, to rejoice the building years of a growing community of lgbt individuals. This light, festive colourful and extroverted space invites people to come together in all their diversity, relax and have a chat in the cosy corner with snacks and juicy conversations.
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The other space is more intimate, dark and introverted, giving time for the personal journey of "being in the closet", "coming out" and feeling boxed by societal restraints that hinder people's movements and set the relations between individuals through laws and regulations. The visitor enters via a black box, full of balloons. One has to squeeze in, watch their step, adapt speed and movement, walk on eggshells, very carefully and under pressure of pop-able balloons. On the other hand, going slower than usual and in literal connection with the surrounding space, our breathing, gravity, pace, awareness and sense of being can shift into another state of perception. Released from the box, strings through the jungle-like space will navigate your mobility, never straight, always bending and curving. A shiny source of hope reflects from the Declaration of Family Relationship, engraved for eternity, paves the way towards more equal rights for people of different orientations in their gender & sexuality-expressions.
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As a more itinerant and decorative artwork was the timeline of 10 years RoCK, embroidered on a 10-meter long and colorful ribbon that threads the highlights of the organisation. No official cutting of the ribbon, but a formal connection to a long future to come! As a flowing stream of soft fabrics, it glides festively through the hands of many, linking and uniting a community in a symbolic, yet physical manner.
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[re-enacting memories] is an itinerant and sideways-shifting series of poetic and playful interventions, organized by visual artist TAN Vatey & festivalmaker Sinta WIBOWO, this time invited by VUTH Lyno and hosted by RoCK’s 10th anniversary in Phnom Penh.
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[re-enacting memories] with TAN Vatey
2017
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Europalia Indonesia
Palais de la Dynastie, Mont des Arts / Kunstberg, Brussels, Belgium
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[re-enacting memories] does not wish “to present” or “to represent” Mutual Unknown, the cutting-edge group exhibition, initiated by CuratorsLab and happened in Spring 2017 with 9 artists & 3 curators from South-East Asia installing their work station Galeri Nasional Indonesia, progressing on their artworks with the kind support of many helping hands and in interaction and conversation with many visitors of Indonesia’s National Gallery in Jakarta. A presentation with words or talks in Brussels, could not honor nor walk the way of Mutual Unknown in Indonesia, an unusual contemporary arts happening that took place from May till June in Jakarta, with field trips to Bandung & Yogya.
[re-enacting memories] with TAN Vatey wishes “to be present” in the spirit of the unusual and performative event of Mutual Unknown by inviting everyone to join in for a re-make of art works and a re-enactment of that collective exhibition. This will form another temporary community as occured quite unexpectedly in Indonesia’s prestigious national gallery. The Museum, one of the strongholds of colonial [f]acts, like The School is another one, started to decolonize for a moment. Power dynamics shifted as the relations between people & conventions changed during Mutual Unknown: visitors can write on the white walls of the museum, artists are not submitted to the framing-naming power of The Curator with the art works still in progress, curators moved into the space available conversations with visitors, the static gallery became a moving scene and sharing stage for everyone around. “Do not touch the art work” yet, please do touch the artists.
Spring 2017, in Jakarta, Galeri Nasional Indonesia (°1887, Koningsplein Oost No. 14, Batavia, Indische Woonhuis): Mobile workstations with pencils, markers, paint brushes, raw material, found ingredients, glue guns, laptops, tablets… in a space filled with arts, artists, drones, “jam karet” / “elastic time”, stained floors, spotted walls, online & offline-conversations, GoFood deliveries during Ramadan time, Gojek pick-ups back and forth Gambir/Galeri Nasional to Cut Mutiah Mosque/Sofyan Sharia hotel, all rushing to moments of presentation, while everything and everyone was being present and all was finished even when developing. To clean or not to clean? That was a big question. Mutual Unknown was a promise to “not know in togetherness”, as that is the state of being, while usually being in the state of pretending “to know” as The School taught us to.
Autumn 2017, in Brussels, Palais de la Dynastie (°1958, Mont des Arts, World Expo Brussels): we warmly welcome all people, animals and plants in Brussels, of all ages, cultures & natures, to join us for this memorial gathering: Meet Vatey in person, meet fellow-artists & curators from South-East Asia online, who co-created and co-acted “Mutual Unknown” and allow another temporary community to form with everyone present, offline and online! Kids, pets, plants, angry birds, kite flyers, rope skippers, karaoke singers, skaters and boarders… find your way into Palais de la Dynastie at the foot of Mont des Arts in Brussels for a double-bill workshop on Saturday 14 October [re-making art works] and Sunday 15 October 2017 [instant exhibition making], between 14-18h… Ayo, datang dan berkumpul!
[re-enacting memories] with TAN Vatey is taking the occasion of Vatey being present in Brussels, to share and re-enact a lived experience. Vatey [pronounce: Watai] is a visual artist working and living in Phnom Penh, whose interest on guilty pleasures in Indonesia was triggered on the train Jakarta-Yogya, when a pickpocket made her backpack lighter by removing her laptop, smartphone and money. Instead, the thief left her the weight of Men’s and Women’s Health Magazines from 2004. During the rest of her stay and research, Vatey observed many people smoking kretek cigarettes and eating fried food, kerupuk & instant noodles… Her own concern around health, environment and social issues went in conversation with these observations which became the starting point of the artwork she created during the cultural exchange, artistic research that amounted to the freshly spirited group exhibition “Mutual Unknown” at the National Gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta.
[re-enacting memories] is an itinerant and sideways-shifting series, this time landed in Brussels and hosted by Bakulkultur. Bakul is a multi-purpose vessel, hand made by interweaving strands of bamboo into the intended shape. Bakul is widely used in Indonesia as a household container to preserve substantial goods, rice, vegetables, spices, etc. As the name indicates, Bakulkultur is created to be a container of ideas and initiatives related to preserving Indonesian culture. In Bakulkultur, our interests of Indonesia are interweaving with our beliefs that culture is an evolving entity. Thus, we don’t attempt to maintain some sort of ‘national culture’ and fall into discussions about authenticity. On the contrary, Bakulkultur aims to highlight the process and simultaneously accommodate and enrich our cultural vocabulary. Therefore, with our various cultural programs, we wish to encourage the encounters and for the audience to experience the exchange. Ultimately, our goal is not confined solely in introducing and celebrating contemporary Indonesian culture in Belgium and Europe, but also to mediate the experience of intercultural exchange along the way.
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