The Jakarta Biennale 2015 – “Maju Kena, Mundur Kena*: Acting in the Present”
*Translated as Neither Forward nor Back
The international contemporary art exhibition Jakarta Biennale is back with the title “Maju Kena, Mundur Kena: Acting in The Present.” This is the 16th biannual art exhibition since its inception in 1974 under the name Indonesian Paintings Exhibition.
Jakarta Biennale will be held from 15 November 2015 – 17 January 2016. The main event will take place in the Sarinah Warehouse, Jalan Pancoran Timur II/4, South Jakarta. In addition, the Jakarta Biennale will also fill various public spaces in the city through collaborative works with various communities.
With the theme “Maju Kena, Mundur Kena” (Neither Forward nor Back) this year, Jakarta Biennale aims to consider what it means to act as artists and cultural communities in the present, without getting caught up in either nostalgia of the past or dreams of future’s utopia. All of the works curated focus on responses to today’s society, thinking about its economic, political and emotional conditions. Jakarta Biennale 2015 wants to explore the present through looking at how artists reflect on and record what is happening around and how they can act in their society.
There are three major issues that link the whole art exhibitions and projects in Jakarta Biennale. The first is the use and abuse of water, which is a source of life as well as disaster. The second focus is on history today, and how the past affects the present through the contemporary interpretation of memories and traditions. The third focus is on gender roles in society and how each one of us negotiates, even confronts, identities that are being imposed on us — a struggle that can lead to violence and also social transformation. Through its exhibition and art projects, Jakarta Biennale 2015 wants to highlight the achievements of citizens in the present – our everyday small victories – in the middle of sometimes tortuous living conditions.
Along with the exhibitions and art projects, Jakarta Biennale has prepared a number of supporting programmes in the form of seminars, workshops, public education and performances. There will be a two-day public symposium after the opening and, from 17-29 November, the Biennale will open the temporary MKMK Academy where Indonesian and international artists, philosophers and activists will be invited to focus on the themes of this Biennale – the present, water, history and gender. This academy will involve an open call for Indonesian participants as well as students from art schools in Europe. There will also be parallel events organised In Aceh, Surabaya and Makassar.
The full press release and information about the curatorial team can be found here.
