In less than a month after unveiling Matter and Place exhibition at their Sculpture Garden, Museum MACAN is dedicating another exhibition to the emergence of contemporary art in Indonesia.
Named after the famous Dunia Dalam Berita program from TVRI, the exhibition is an examination on the two important milestones that have resulted in impactful developments of the country’s contemporary art scene. It is first is marked by the observation of transition from Suharto’s New Order Regime to Reformation and the globalisation of popular culture, but the basis of Dunia Dalam Berita is rooted in artists’ increasing access to information and their freedom of expression.
Featuring works from ten leading Indonesian artists, from Agus Suwage, FX Harsono, Heri Dono to Mella Jaarsma and Taring Padi, Dunia Dalam Berita showcases their abilities in absorbing both global and local affairs and refining it to tackle political and social issues.
To wit, Krisna Murti’s Makanan Tidak Mengenal Ras dives into the existence of well-known local dishes, like kue moci, bakmi goreng Jawa and makaroni skotel, that were created from cultural assimilations around the world. Through his paintings, I Nyoman Masriadi employs famous pop culture characters and renders them in hyper-masculine figures to construct a discourse on society in comical way.
The exhibition comes at an opportune time when the country’s stability is rocked by the recent presidential election. Dunia Dalam Berita holds up a mirror to its viewers and compels them to confront just how far we have come since the Reformation and how far we still have to go.
Dunia Dalam Berita exhibition runs from 1 May to 21 July, 2019 at Museum MACAN.
