A biennale event collaborates art from Indonesia and India

Biennale Jogja XI / Equator # 1’, is the first in a series of five international biennales to take place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The geographical point of reference for these Biennales is countries that are located near the equator (23.27º north and south of it) and the series will see Indonesia’s cultural engagement with the participating countries.

‘Shadow Lines’ is the first edition that has forty artists from Indonesia and India collaborating in the ongoing exhibition. It suggests imaginary lines that draw people together and pull them apart; it also refers to geo-political borders and the creation of modern states in South Asia.

Curated by Alia Swastika (Indonesia) and Suman Gopinath (India), the Biennale, with its overarching theme of ‘religiosity, spirituality and belief’ will attempt to present ways in which artists from the two countries address and interpret their contemporary conditions, informed by their personal experiences, as also by the political structures of the countries they live in.

Participating artists include Atul Dodiya, Archana Hande, Anita Dube, Amar Kanwar, N S Harsha, Prabhavati Meppayil, Sreshta Rit Premnath, Pushpamala N, Riyaz Komu, K.P Reji, Sheela Gowda, Shilpa Gupta, Sheba Chhachhi, Sakshi Gupta, Valsan Koorma Kolleri, Setu Legi, Krisna Murti, Jompet Kuswidananto, Arahmaiani, Wedhar Riyadi, Andy Dewantoro, Christine Ay Tjoe, Paul Kadarisman, Albert Yonathan, Akiq AW, Ariadhitya Pramuhendra, Iswanto Hartono, Wimo Ambala Bayang, Tromarama, Octora, Theresia Agustina, Titarubi, RE Hartanto, Nurdian Ichsan, Wiyoga Muhardanto, Erika Ernawan, Melati Suryodarmo, Arya Panjalu / Sara Nuytemans, Ruangrupa, Irwan Ahmett.

Besides the main exhibition in two venues, there will be several parallel programmes and special projects like the Equator Festival with the contemporary reinvention of the Ramayana ballet, seminars, artists’ talks and community projects. Spelling out the core philosophy of Biennale Jogja, organizers state: “The event will look further towards the future, open up new perspectives and develop confrontations that engage convention and the establishment by examining similar situations all over the world.

“The discourse of contemporary art has become very dynamic, but we still notice that the dichotomy of center and periphery remains very strong. There is the need to identify new opportunities and seek out more valuable meaning in a biennale event.”