CREDITS
PRESS
Albert Yonathan Setyawan
Eko Nugroho
Entang Wiharso
Sri Astari
Titarubi
Rahayu Supanggah
Venezia
55th International Art Ehxibition of la Biennale di Venezia
1 June - 24 November 2013
Sakti is the curatorial theme of the Indonesian Pavilion. In Sanskrit, it refers to the primordial cosmic energy and the personification of divine, feminine creative energy, as well as indicating change and liberation. Of Hindu origin, the concept of Sakti was quickly integrated into local cosmology. Given Indonesia’s 700 living languages, Sakti can be denoted as foundational creative principle and represents the spirit that ties together the Indonesian Nation.
While Sakti reflects Indonesia's rich heritage, it also converges with theme for the 55th International Art Exhibition artistic director Massimiliano Gioni’s concept of “Il Palazzo Enciclopedico/The Encyclopedic Palace,” as is meant to show audiences that contemporary art evolves as the foundation of the creative principle, referencing historical and social aspects as well as the value of local cultural pluralism within the global discourse.
The art works by the six artists are tied together on the 500 square meter space in the Arsenale to render a visionary experience that evokes cultural layers from a distant past and the present time to enlighten the near future: Entang Wiharso's humorous images which are joined by sublime sculptures referring to heroes in the realms of national struggle and art development; Eko Nugroho's bamboo raft denoting the struggle to overcome an uncertain present; Titarubi's school benches of burnt wood, thick open books and charcoal drawings juxtaposing the process of acquiring knowledge and science with the colonial past and environmental destruction; Albert Yonathan's interactive labyrinth of ceramic stupa's to evoke the inner self Sri Astari's metaphysical recreation of the pendopo as a metaphor for the human soul, accentuated with Rahayu Supanggah’s intangible sounds.
Produced by PT Bumi Purnati and Change Performing Arts, the Indonesia Pavilion is supported by innovative staging, designed and site specific for the event by a team of architects, lighting, and sound specialists. The Indonesian Pavillion is supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy.