Framer Framed

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.

Hestu Setu Legi on the making of ‘Retomar Nossa Terra / Rebut Tanah Kita’ (2023) by Taring Padi from Framer Framed on Vimeo.

Location
Framer Framed
Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71
1093 KS, Amsterdam

Opening times
25 June – 10 September
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.

Links

• 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)
• Casa do Povo - São Paulo

Attachments

• Tanah Merdeka - Catalogue (EN)
• Tanah Merdeka - Featured Works (EN)

Agenda

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 /

From Tanah Merdeka to Tanah Tumpah Darah: Taring Padi in Brisbane, Australia

Collectives / Indonesia / Podcast /

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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Video: Hestu Setu Legi on the making of ‘Retomar Nossa Terra / Rebut Tanah Kita’ (2023) by Taring Padi