Take A Look at Pre BienNale Jogja XIV Equator #4 Exhibition, An Artistic Journey throughout the Equator in Collaboration with Brazil
Biennale Jogja (BJ) is a biennial art event that is routinely held by the government of The Special Region of Yogyakarta and organized by Yayasan Biennale Yogyakarta (YBY). This year, Equator is still the ongoing theme for the celebration after it was first introduced in 2011. The equator series explore the notion of a journey from Indonesia, Yogyakarta in particular, across the world in 10 years time. In each of its series, Biennale Equator works with one or more countries whose regions lay around the equator line. The project aims to connect the world through art, in hope of further strengthening the cooperation between the states, forming a wider scope of networks, and thus creating a sustainable collaboration between the practitioners of art. Besides that, a new global art topography is hoped to be shaped during Bienalle Jogja. India, Arab, Nigeria are the previous countries that were selected for Equator editions, this time Brazil will be the destined country we’re taken to in this event.
Being the farthest reach of Biennale Equator edition, the state that is located at South America bears some similarities with our country. Huge population, abundant biodiversity, and life challenges are among the same things that happen in these two countries. BJ has a purpose to envision the future from the perspective of developing nations which are located on the equator line. The challenges, problems, and setbacks that are faced by these countries at the moment and in the future will be the source of reflection for both the artists and the visitors of Biennale Jogja. Three curators will be honored to work in this project and they are Dodo Hartoko, Pius Sigit Kuncoro and Jumaldi Alfi. The combination of their experiences and respectable educational backgrounds will result in ideas that is realized through some programs that will be held on Biennale Jogja XIV Equator #4. Yustina Neni and Pius Sigit Kuncoro have already traveled to Brazil to further develop an understanding of the current state of art there, starting from visiting the exhibitions held in galleries as well as observing its street art and dynamic social-political situation.
Different from the previous BJ celebration, this time a pre-event was held from 20 – 25 March 2017 at PKKH UGM Yogyakarta. A few artists’ names who are involved in this project were announced during the opening exhibition. There was also a launching of Biennale Jogja’s official logo and merchandises. Afterwards, the event will be opened for public viewing everyday until it ends, starting from 10 AM to 8 PM. During the opening of Pre Biennale Jogja exhibition, 40 artists were announced as the participants. The process of curating these names until it was narrowed down to 40 could be said as a long process. The selection was based on the amount of budget that the project has, consideration of the artists’ latest track records, as well as an in-depth interviews with the candidates. Some of the names are familiar to the public’s ears like Farid Stevy, Roby Dwi Antono, Adi Dharma a.k.a Stereoflow, Narpati Awangga a.k.a OomLeo, Sangkakala and many more. Some of the artists were present during the opening and also showed their excitement for the upcoming event. The main event will happen during November – December 2017 in several art galleries in Yogyakarta, and don’t miss other exciting programs like discussion and socialization that will also be held prior to or simultaneously with the main agenda. Visit their website for more information.
Pic by: Shintayu Permata
