Arthub Favorite: Week 157

Biennale Jogja XV 2019

Duration: 2019 October 20 – November 30

Biennale Jogja XV Equator #5 2019 opened on 20 October 2019 at the Jogja National Museum. 52 artists from across Southeast Asia were invited to join this year’s Biennale.

Questioning “Do we live in the same PLAYGROUND?”, the Biennale is curated by a trio consisting of Akiq AW, one of the founders of artist collective MES 56, Arham Rahman (Indonesia), as well as Penwadee Nophaket Manont from Thailand. Issues of identity, socio-political tensions, and the environment were among the subjects proposed by the selected artists.

The Biennale is spread out all across the city of Yogyakarta, with five different locations: The Jogja National Museum, the Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Ketandan 17, Kampung Jogoyudan, and the Pusat Kebudayaan Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri. Each site offers different experiences. Kampung Jogoyudan, for instance, has an installation by architect and activist Yoshi Fajar Kresno Murti titled “Hotel Purgatorio”. Built using leftover materials and bamboo, the installation questions the careless construction methods of hotel buildings.

On 17 October 2019, PT Bank UOB Indonesia (UOB Indonesia) presented the 2019 UOB Painting of the Year (Indonesia) Award to West Sumatran artist Anagard for his work titled “Welcome Perdamaian, Goodbye Kedengkian” (Welcome Peace, Goodbye Hostility). The event marked the ninth edition of the annual “UOB Painting of the Year” competition.

Among the thousands of Indonesian painters who took part in this year’s competition, 50 were selected by Head Jury and curator Agung Hujatnikajennong, artist Arahmaiani, and critic Nirwan Dewanto, and the works of the finalists are currently on view at the Ruang Pamer Temporer, National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta, until 31 October 2019.