On Tradition artist talks and opening reception

Please join us at 16albermarle Project Space to celebrate the opening of the On Tradition: Contemporary art from Indonesia exhibiton curated by Elly Kent.

To kick start the event, visiting artists Dewie Bukit and Dias Prabu will present a floor talk about their work. This will be followed by opening celebrations with an official inauguration by Australian/Indonesian artist Jumadi.

EVENT DETAILS
Artist Floor Talks | 3pm–4pm
Opening Reception | 4pm–6pm

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ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

On Tradition: Contemporary art from Indonesia presents 13 artists and collectives working with traditional art practices in contemporary contexts—both those with contemporary practices that draw on tradition, and those bringing traditional practices into the contemporary art world. While the contemporary and the traditional have often been seen as binaries when looking at Indonesian art, On Tradition seeks to explore the crossovers and new forms which are developing across the archipelago. Alongside artists working in Java and Bali, the exhibition features an equal number from outlying areas such as Sumba, North Maluku, West Timor, North Sumatra, Kalimantan and West Papua. Working in a variety of media, the artists address the pressing issues of our time—gender justice, ecological threat, maintenance of culture and systematic inequality—through engagement with traditional art practices. Whether with criticality, nostalgia, documentary precision or whole-hearted embrace, the works in On Tradition show that artists’ relationships with tradition are not a straight line from the past to the future, but a vibrant cycle of perpetual reimagining.

The exhibition is presented across two exhibition venues: 16albermarle Project Space and Delmar Gallery.

ARTISTS & COLLECTIVES

Ni Luh Pangestu | Septa Adi | Arie Dyanto | Dewie Bukit | Dias Prabu | Fitriani Dwi Kurniasih | Broken Pitch | Sangkakala | Rizka Azizah Hayati | Juanga Culture | Nency Dwi Ratna | Udeido Collective | Alfred W. Djami Opening festivities will include artist talks by visiting artists Dewie Bukit and Dias Prabu, and the official inauguration of the exhibition by celebrated Australian/Indonesian artist, Jumaadi.

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ABOUT ELLY KENT

Dr Elly (Ellen) Kent is a lecturer in Indonesian studies at the Australian National University. She has worked as researcher, writer, translator, artist, educator and intercultural professional in Indonesia and Australia. Elly is the author of Artists and the People: Ideologies of Indonesian Art (2022) NUS Press, and co-editor (with Virginia Hooker and Caroline Turner) of Living Art: Indonesian Artists Engage Politics, Society and History (2023) ANU Press. Elly’s research focuses on contemporary and historical art, design and cultural practices in southeast Asia, and especially in Indonesia. She is interested in the intersection between social change, politics and art practice.

ABOUT DEWIE BUKIT

Born 1981, North Sumatra

Photographer Dewie Bukit lives and works in Yogyakarta. In addition to teaching photography in creative economy communities in Indonesia, this alumni of the Postgraduate Program of Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) is widely known for her expertise in photographing artworks for art publications and visual documentation, including for artists Handiwirman Saputra, Jumaldi Alfi, Rudi Mantofani, Abdi Setiawan, Gusmen Heriadi, Dias Prabu, Mulyana and Fika Ria Santika. In 2017 she joined the teaching team in the Artists Teaching in Lake Toba program. During her one month stay in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, she became interested in the development of Batak 'ulos' handwoven textiles. Since 2018 she has researched and documented ulos, leading to the book Arta Tading Tadingan, published by craft magazine Garland. In 2022, Dewie was given an award by Dana Indonesiana, part of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. In 2023, she completed the documentary film Invisible Maestro: Kisan Perempuan dan Ulos di Tanah Batak, which was exhibited in Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

ABOUT DIAS PRABU

Born 1987, Malang, East Java

Dias Prabu is a visual artist, painter and muralist who lives and works in Yogyakarta. He graduated with a Bachelor of Art Education from Surabaya State University and continued to Master's program at Institut Seni Indonesia. Dias started his visual art career in 2010. He was selected for a young artist residency in 2011 and in 2014 won a national mural competition initiated by the National Gallery of Indonesia. His work on murals took Dias to many provinces in Indonesia, including Natuna and Selayar Islands, where he worked with local students and residents to make murals based on their stories. In 2018, he worked in a traditional hand-drawn batik village in Wonosari, Yogyakarta, learning batik tulis (hand drawn batik) techniques he could combine with his mural context. This was a turning point which brought him to art projects in Indonesia and abroad. In 2022 he was a founder of Kultura Collectiva, which works and tours collectively with artists in disciplines such as fashion, ethnic music and dance, performance art, photography and video art.

ABOUT 16ALBERMARLE PROJECT SPACE

Established in 2019 by Australian art adviser/collector/curator John Cruthers, 16albermarle presents contemporary southeast Asian art in an intimate space in inner-city Sydney. Its aim is to connect Australian audiences to southeast Asia through art and encourage their deeper engagement with the countries of the region. Alongside this cultural agenda, 16albermarle also promotes the artists it shows and sell their artworks to return funds to them, most of whom live from the sale of their work. Its exhibitions have included artists and artworks from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. The focus is on younger and mid-career artists with established practices and reputations in their home countries whose work has not been widely seen in Australia. Exhibitions are accompanied by public programs, catalogues and educational materials for upper secondary and tertiary students. 16albermarle also runs annual art study tours to Indonesia and Thailand.

ABOUT DELMAR GALLERY

Delmar Gallery was established in 1969 and is one of Sydney’s longest-running contemporary art galleries. It is part of Trinity Grammar School, an independent Anglican school for boys from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12. The gallery serves the local community with free admission to exhibitions and associated events. Its ambitious program ranges across the spectrum of the visual arts, with curated exhibitions that engage, inspire and challenge audiences. It aims to provide rich educational experiences or students and teachers, firing imaginations and stimulating critical enquiry. It also seeks to introduce students to artists’ ways of working and lay the foundation for a lifelong appreciation of the arts.