25 Jun –
10 Sep 2023
Exhibition: Tanah Merdeka
The exhibition Tanah Merdeka brings together works by the Indonesian art collective Taring Padi and various collaborators to reflect on the concept of land and its socio-political implications through a cross-cultural network of solidarity. During the exhibition, their collaborations will also take form in an extensive public program and newly developed artworks. Tanah Merdeka is presented by Framer Framed in partnership with Brazilian Jewish cultural centre Casa do Povo and Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST).
The featured works by Taring Padi and their collaborators are based on their shared experiences and ongoing anti-colonial work around land. Developed through methods of co-creation, the works – including woodcut posters, large-scale banners, and cardboard puppets – focus on land as the primary object of decolonial struggles, with reference to the Dutch colonial past and its continuous impact on the present day, resource extraction, agro-industrial economies, the deployment of military forces and violence, administrative techniques of occupation, and the destruction of biodiversity.
Drawing from the Indonesian expression ‘tanah merdeka’ (liberated land), the exhibition sees land as a broad concept with many complexities. It considers forces of extraction, preservation, colonisation, occupation, identity, and emancipation, and thinks of land not only as a physical and territorial site to be protected, defended, and reclaimed. Tanah Merdeka is also as a spiritual, cosmological, and vibrant space that enables different forms of interrelation, conversation, and genuine exchange beyond boundaries.
In 2022, together with participants of the Wayang Kardus Workshops at Framer Framed and other locations, Taring Padi co-produced cardboard puppets that were later presented at documenta fifteen. Tanah Merdeka continues this collective approach with the realisation of new collaborative works. During a recent one-month residency in Brazil, four members of Taring Padi developed a new work with Casa do Povo and the Brazilian landless workers movement Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST).
The exhibition also speaks to the importance of open, collective conversation as a transformative tool for dealing with issues that are interlaced with forms of racism, colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchal structures. Following discussions about the depiction of antisemitic figures in one of Taring Padi’s earlier works and motivated by the collective desire for a restorative process, the ongoing partnership with Brazilian Jewish cultural centre Casa do Povo is based on the idea that stand-alone denunciations of any kind of prejudice are not enough to create effective transformation.
Tanah Merdeka (2023) is at the same time a presentation of work by Taring Padi and the result of intensive collaboration with various groups in Brazil, roundtable discussions, and a public program. It aims to create an open field to critically engage with the legacy of colonialism, as well as a transformative space that restores connections between communities and our relationships to land. Reflecting the continuous change of land over time, the works will evolve throughout the exhibition as individuals, communities, and collectives of Moluccan, Papuan, Indonesian, and Indonesian-Jewish backgrounds will respond to the exhibition and collaborate to co-create new works.
The collective Non Native Native (NNN) and artist Theo Frids Marulitua Hutabarat, resident of the KITLV – Framer Framed Atelier, will also present work parallel to the Tanah Merdeka exhibition.
Location
Framer Framed
Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71
1093 KS, Amsterdam
Opening times
25 June – 10 September 2023
Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00-18:00h
Free entry
Supported by
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Amsterdams Fund for the Arts; Municipality of Amsterdam and VriendenLoterij Fonds.
- Art and Australia - The Work of Justice Taring Padi
- De Groene Amsterdammer - Dancing under the volcano
- Metropolis M - Solidarity and collectivity: Taring Padi in Framer Framed
- Mister Motley - 'Against the destruction of the country by capitalist powers'
- NRC - Taring Padi: 'Muslim fundamentalists see us as threat because we are punk'
- English website of Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)
- Portuguese website of Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)
Links
Indonesia / Collectives / Colonial history / Art and Activism / Social Practice /
Agenda
Finissage: Tanah Merdeka
The last day of the exhibition, with a guided tour in Bahasa Indonesia, a performance by Samboleap Tol, and a painting & woodcut printmaking workshop with Taring Padi members
Rebel Dances: Borders in Tranc-it
A performance initiated by Papaya Kuir, directed by Pau(la) Chaves Bonilla and hosted by Framer Framed
Launch: Errant Journal #5, Learning from Ancestors
Errant Journal is a concept by Irene de Craen, realised in collaboration with Framer Framed
A Harvest for All: Notes on Biodiversity and Medicine
A conversation between Milena Bonilla & Taita Hernando Chindoy
Workshop: Linocut Printmaking – Tanah Merdeka
Co-creating a lino print poster with Sophia Pekowsky & Ilya Genov to reflect on transnational solidarity and land struggles
NON NATIVE NATIVE FAIR 2023: PRO$PERITY NOW!
A unique gathering of creative practitioners from diverse backgrounds, which showcases old and new projects and products in the form of a trade fair.
Screening: Land Rifts – Extraction and Sedimentation
Film screenings and discussion about ecosystems and coloniality, in collaboration with ASCA.
Roundtable Conversation: Tanah Merdeka
Roundtable conversation with researchers and curators from different art museums and institutions within the context of Taring Padi's exhibition, Tanah Merdeka.
Opening: Tanah Merdeka
Opening of the exhibition Tanah Merdeka with works by the Indonesian art collective Taring Padi and collaborators.
Symposium: (un)Common Grounds - Reflecting on documenta fifteen
A two-day hybrid symposium co-organised by Framer Framed, Akademie van Kunsten & Van Abbemuseum
Workshop: Wayang Kardus - Struggle and Solidarity with Taring Padi
A two-day workshop by Taring Padi with food, conversations, jamming sessions and the production of cardboard puppets
Network
Alexander Supartono
Art Historian
Taring Padi
Collective
Muhammad 'Ucup' Yusuf
Artist
Bayu Widodo
Artist
Hestu Setu Legi
Artist
Fitri DK
Artist
Magazine
Collectives / Indonesia / Colonial history / Art and Activism /
Collectives / Indonesia / Podcast / Social Practice /
Podcast: Art in Solidarity - Taring Padi’s 25-Year Artistic Evolution
Collectives / Indonesia / Colonial history / Art and Activism /
The making of Tanah Merdeka - Dialogue through collaborative practices
Collectives / Indonesia / Colonial history / Art and Activism /
An introduction to the exhibition Tanah Merdeka - by Alexander Supartono
Collectives / Curatorial Text / Indonesia / Colonial history / Art and Activism /
Seeking Restorative Processes by Benjamin Seroussi
Indonesia / Collectives / Art and Activism / Southeast Asia /
Taring Padi, Solidarity in Public Space - by Kerstin Winking
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