BHINEKA TUNGGAL IKA FROM THE PRACTICE OF YOUNG INDONESIAN WOMEN ARTISTS
This exhibition serves to reframe the meaning and (re)interpretation of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika/Unity in Diversity from the perspectives of the new Indonesian generation, as represented by the works of young Indonesian contemporary women artists. The focus is more on the way the spirit of Bhinneka is reflected and manifested in their artistic practice, in various interdisciplinary, contemporary approaches. The selection of the 12 artists for this exhibition is based equally on their artistic merits, accomplishments, and their respective subject matters that are relevant to the current narratives of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika and global diversity, which in itself, represented by the diversity of contemporary artistic practices today.
This diversity of artistic practice indicates the artists’ aspirations to be involved in the changes of their time, locally and globally, ranging from various medium and subject-matters from painting, sculpture, ceramics, public art, video, sound, organic and renewable materials. These ‘diversifications’ encompass subthemes which are reflected through the artists’ works, each one representing the dominant and urgent issues of their generation-and the future.
We can see strong themes of cultural values and personal identity from the works of Citra Sasmita, Alfiah Rahdini and Sekar Puti Sidhiawati, while Meita Meilita, Audya Amalia, Rahayu Retnaningrum and Yessiow develops their respective medium as means to express community values while inviting interaction and participation. The works of Maharani Mancanagara, Lala Bohang and Mira Rizki present various reimagining of personal, collective and postcolonial history. Ines Katamso composes installations from fossils and organic materials, while Andrita Yuniza Orbandi explores renewable materials and biodiversity, reflecting the new generation’s increasing awareness of global ecology and the urgent state of our nature.
As Indonesian Millennials, they grew up with Bhinneka Tunggal Ika not only as a national ideology but also as global citizens, embodying Bhinneka in their individuality as well as a prominent part of the society, manifesting it in their contemporary artistic practice with a diverse range of medium, experimentations and explorations. As part of the first global generation, the spirit of Bhinneka is not only internalized by them as a national motto, but also in shaping their perspectives as Indonesians in this changing world.