Throughout September and October 2018, Project 7 1/2 presents two exhibitions in Jakarta, Indonesia. From September 13 to September 29, A Tale of Two Cities: Narrative Archive of Memories III will be held in the National Gallery of Indonesia and from October 1 to October 31, Elephant in the Room will be held in Jakarta History Museum. Both exhibitions in the National Gallery of Indonesia and Jakarta History Museum are extensions of Project 7 1/2’s ongoing trajectory since 2014.

Jakarta History Museum is located in the old capital of Indonesia, Kota. The museum exhibits the history of Jakarta and the relics of the Dutch colonial period. The artifacts are housed in a remodeled construction of the Dutch East India Company’s headquarters built-in 1627. The building was modeled after the Palais op de Dam in Amsterdam and was used as the city hall during the colonial rules. In 1974, the building opened as Jakarta History Museum, displaying the various furniture and utensils of the colonial Governor-General the way they were originally used. Here you can find the glass panels of bookshelves created 400 years ago, bedroom furniture, tables, and old maps. The dungeon used for incarcerating criminals has been preserved. The water prison, iron mace, and heavy iron ball used to shackle prisoners are also on display.

We are well aware of the vanity of power seen from the large stream of history. Nonetheless, many still strive to win power. Such efforts do not improve our lives nor make us happy. What is the most important is to set the coordinates together towards an upright awareness of history and the correct direction forward, so that our children can dream of a better future? The title of the exhibition “An Elephant in the Room” comes from the English idiom for an obvious problem or issue that no one wants to discuss. If A Tale of Two Cities: Narrative Archive of Memories collected stories from the shared history of the two countries(cities) on a broad level, An Elephant in the Room carefully projects in a specific direction, seen from “our” contemporary perspective. The exhibition aims to suggest artistic practices that invite more people to actually participate. In this exhibition of An Elephant in the Room, we will experience a paradoxical “difference” created between the objective, universal facts, and the subjective, selective memories. If the previous exhibition A Tale of Two Cities: Narrative Archive of Memories pointed towards chasms of history, An Elephant in the Room speaks of today. The aim of this exhibition is to suggest specific artistic practices for more people. This will be the first suggestion made by Project 7 1/2 together with the artists it has collaborated, ever since the project began in 2014 with the question of ‘what is art?’ This proposal will not be the answer for everyone. However, I hope it can light up a perspective different from what the audience has experienced thus far so that art is no longer a way of indulging wealth for the upper-middle class, but rather a medium that can shine its light among us in everyday life. Perhaps the exhibition might not be able to suggest a concrete alternative for realizing a better life through art. Nonetheless, I am confident that this exhibition will function as a medium, where art delivers stories that cannot be spoken out by individuals otherwise. Hopefully, the exhibition will succeed to encourage this belief and thus become a turning point for more people to seek daily, practical, and tangible methods of making art for the public.

1.

mixrice

Menggali dan Mengubur

Digging and Burying

2018

Variable dimensions

In the foregone past, when we did not know each other well, and in the present, when we only know each other symbolically, minor histories and stories that have continued on within this unknowingness lie buried in the ground. “I divide segments, join them together like rags, and divide them again. I dig and I bury. I bury and I dig. One plants seeds and digs out roots. One buries a gas can and digs out electricity lines. One buries garbage and digs out potatoes. One buries concrete columns and unearths treasures. One buries people of the past and digs out metal. One digs out the wheels of a truck and buried treasures. One digs out bombs and digs out coal. One buries green bananas and digs out yellow bananas. One buries a diary and unearths the past. One digs out bones and buries the night. One buries a refrigerator and digs out cheap dolls. One buries a body and digs out holes. One buries wrinkles and unearths memories.” (artist’s note)

Dahulu saat kita tidak mengenal satu sama lain dan di masa kini saat kita hanya mengenal satu dengan yang lain secara simbolis, sejarah dan cerita kecil yang berlanjut dalam ketidaktahuan ini terkubur di dalam tanah. “Saya membaginya menjadi beberapa bagian, menggabungkan mereka seperti kain usang, kemudian membaginya kembali. Saya menguburnya lalu menggalinya kembali. Menanam satu biji dan menggali akarnya. Mengubur kaleng gas dan menggali aliran listrik. Mengubur sampah dan menggali kentang. Mengubur beton dan menggali harta karun. Mengubur seseorang dari masa lalu dan menggali logam. Menggali roda truk dan mengubur harta karun. Menggali bom dan menggali batu bara. Mengubur pisang hijau dan menggali pisang kuning. Mengubur buku harian dan menggali masa lalu. Menggali tulang dan mengubur malam. Mengubur lemari es dan menggali boneka murahan. Mengubur badan dan menggali lubang. Mengubur kerutan dan menggali kenangan.” (memori artis)

2.
Sulki & Min

Earth Now
Dunia Saat Ini
10 flags
2018

These flags depict a cacophonous landscape of the earth’s languages. The white-noise-like image collapses the words in 145 different languages that mean “now”: from the Spanish “ahora” to the Chinese “现在,” or from the Afrikaans “nou” to the Zulu “manje.” “Now” — the word and the idea — is interesting as it suggests the speaker’s intimate relation to her or his time, while the meaning is often vague outside a specific context. We think it captures something about how we occupy our history, concretely and indeterminable.

Bendera-bendera ini menggambarkan lanskap yang hiruk-pikuk dari bahasa-bahasa bumi. Suara-riuh seperti citra seperti itu menciutkan kata-kata ke dalam 145 bahasa yang berbeda yang berarti “saat ini”: dari bahasa Spanyol “ahora” ke bahasa Cina “现在,” atau dari bahasa Afrika “nou” ke bahasa Zulu “manje”. “Saat ini” – sebagai kata dan gagasan – menarik karena menunjukkan hubungan intim antara si pembicara dengan zamannya , sementara makna itu sendiri seringkali samar di luar konteks tertentu. Kami pikir hal tersebut menggambarkan tentang bagaimana kita menghidupi sejarah, secara nyata sekaligus tak pasti.

3.
Mahardhika Yudha

Between Object and Image
Antara Objek dan Image
Video Installation
2018

Cinema Room Screening Time
Every Tuesday to Sunday at 3 pm (Except October 6th on Saturday.)

Mahardhika Yudha will have a talk on the 13th of October at 2 pm.

The painting depicting ‘The Battle Between Sultan Agung and JP Coen’, was completed by S.Sudjojono in 1973-1974. The painting, which is divided into three parts, tells the story of the battle between Sultan Agung and the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Jan Pieterszoon Coen in Batavia (Jakarta) in 1628-1629. This painting which was chosen by the Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin for the inauguration of the Jakarta History Museum on March 30, 1974, is not merely an attempt to describe and construct a major war event in the early days of the VOC in Indonesia. It can also be classed as a kind of ‘counter-narrative’ in contrast with the Dutch perspective of the event. It is important to note that this painting was restored in 2008 and 2012. As you may already know, the conservation and restoration of a painting is an attempt to return a painting to its original state or at least as close to the original as is possible. Of course, it is possible that restoration efforts can return objects to their original state, but, on the other hand, can a restoration actually restore perspective? Therefore, the question should be, how much tension exists between the object and the image, especially in front of the audience right now?

Lukisan Pertempuran Antara Sultan Agung dan JP Coen diselesaikan oleh Sudjojono di tahun 1973-1974. Lukisan yang terbagi menjadi tiga bagian ini mengisahkan tentang peperangan antara Sultan Agung dan Gubernur Jenderal Hindia Belanda Jan Pieterszoon Coen tahun 1628-1629 yang terjadi di Batavia (Jakarta). Lukisan yang memang diciptakan untuk peresmian Museum Sejarah Jakarta ini —yang diresmikan oleh Gubernur Jakarta Ali Sadikin pada 30 Maret 1974— tidak hanya sebagai usaha untuk menggambarkan dan mengkonstruksi peristiwa perang besar di masa awal berkuasanya VOC di Indonesia. Tetapi juga semacam usaha ‘narasi perlawanan’ terhadap sudut pandang Belanda pada peristiwa itu. Penting untuk dicatat, bahwa lukisan ini telah direstorasi di tahun 2008 dan 2012. Seperti yang kalian ketahui, restorasi lukisan merupakan usaha untuk mengembalikan sebuah lukisan ke keadaannya semula atau setidaknya mendekati keadaan semula. Mungkin usaha merestorasi dapat mengembalikan objek pada keadaan awalnya, namun di sisi lain, apakah restorasi juga mampu mengembalikan makna? Bagaimana kemudian tegangan antara objek dan gambaran, terutama di hadapan penonton zaman sekarang.

4.
Sanghee Song

GEEGERS, You and I
GEEGERS, Anda dan Saya
2 Channel Video Installation, 10’ 25”
Drawing
2018

The original work of the script from the image work is Space Fantasia (vol. 3, chapter 16: Colony), written and illustrated by Yukinobu Hoshino. All postcards appearing in the image were produced between 1907~1941.
There are 22 postcards in total, which include 15 from Indonesia, 5 from Korea, 1 from Japan (the bird-painted postcard), and 1 from the United States (the postcard with a stuffed animal). The Indonesian postcards are marked with the Dutch language (Briefkaart uit Nederlandsch-Indië) on the other side. In other words, it can be assumed that the Indonesian postcards were made for Europeans by Dutch people who stayed in Indonesia during 1907~1941. The Korean postcards were also made by the Japanese during the Japanese colonial era. Foreigners who stayed in Korea during the Korean Empire era-Japanese colonial era, who were mainly Japanese, used to let know how they were doing to their family in their home countries by these postcards. The places showing up with the postcards in the image work are ‘the location’ of each postcard. Even though they are the same scenes, there is a gap of 90-100 years between the past and present. The artist tried to visit identical places from the postcards as much as possible, and take photographs with the same perspectives as the postcards. Photographs for the postcards with people were taken at the places by making the speculation of ‘they would have been here at that time.’ For instance, the buildings that were POW camps (most of them are now schools), which are assumed to be places where the Koreans were taken captive that were drafted by force to Japan during the Second World War, or Sukamiskin prison in Bandung, etc. The information about the prison camps and prisons of Java Island in Indonesia during the Second World War were consulted from the website of ‘Indische Kamparchieven’. The music used is ‘Mysteries Of The Macabre’ composed by György Ligeti. Peter Masseurs and Asko Ensemble played the trumpet performance. The music played in the image’s beginning is ‘The Sound of Earth,’ which is recorded on the Voyager Golden Record produced by Nasa.

Karya asli pada naskah diambil dari gambar Space Fantasia (vol. 3, bab 16: Colony), ditulis dan diilustrasikan oleh Yukinobu Hoshino. Semua kartu pos yang muncul dalam gambar diproduksi antara kurun waktu 1907 ~ 1941. Total ada 22 kartu pos, yang terdiri dari 15 dari Indonesia, 5 dari Korea, 1 dari Jepang (kartu pos dengan lukisan burung), dan 1 dari Amerika Serikat (kartu pos yang berisi gambar binatang). Kartu pos Indonesia dijelaskan dengan bahasa Belanda (Briefkaart uit Nederlandsch-Indië) pada sisi lainnya. Dengan kata lain, dapat diasumsikan bahwa kartu pos Indonesia dibuat untuk orang Eropa oleh orang Belanda yang tinggal di Indonesia pada masa 1907 ~ 1941. Kartu pos Korea juga dibuat oleh Jepang selama masa penjajahan Jepang. Orang asing yang tinggal di Korea selama masa Kekaisaran Korea-jaman penjajahan Jepang, yang sebagian besar orang Jepang, mengabarkan kondisi mereka kepada sanak-saudara di negerinya lewat kartu pos ini. Tempat-tempat yang muncul dalam kartu pos dalam karya gambar ini adalah ‘lokasi’ dari setiap kartu pos. Meskipun mereka berada di situasi dan kondisi yang sama, selalu ada celah dalam kurun 90-100 tahun antara masa lalu dan sekarang. Sang seniman mencoba mengunjungi tempat-tempat yang identik dari kartu pos tersebut sebanyak mungkin, dan mengambil foto dengan perspektif yang sama seperti kartu pos. Foto dengan gambar orang-orang untuk kartu pos diambil dengan berspekulasi pada tempat ‘mereka akan berada di sini pada waktu itu.’ Misalnya, bangunan yang dulunya kamp POW (kebanyakannya sekarang adalah sekolah), yang diasumsikan sebagai tempat di mana orang Korea ditawan dan dipaksa ikut wajib militer oleh Jepang selama Perang Dunia Kedua, atau penjara Sukamiskin di Bandung, dll. Informasi tentang kamp penjara dan penjara di pulau Jawa di Indonesia selama Perang Dunia Kedua diterangkan dari situs web ‘Indische Kamparchieven’. Musik yang digunakan adalah ‘Mysteries Of The Macabre’ dengan komposer György Ligeti. Peter Masseurs dan Asko Ensemble memainkan pertunjukan trompet. Musik yang dimainkan di awal gambar adalah ‘The Sound of Earth,’ yang direkam di Voyager Golden Record yang diproduksi oleh Nasa.

5.
Irwan Ahmett & Tita Salina

Beribu Budak
Beribu Budak
(A homograph word that has two meanings; Slave Mother and Thousands of Slaves)
Archive, Panel with acrylic paint
2018 – ongoing

Merupakan proyek dari proses riset Irwan Ahmett dan Tita Salina selama melakukan residensi di Art Maebashi, Jepang tahun 2018. Terkait hubungan sejarah antara Batavia dan Dejima melalui lukisan-lukisan Kawahara Keiga (1786–1860) dan catatan harian para Opperhoofd (Kepala dagang VOC di Dejima). Sebagai seniman Irwan dan Tita mencoba menelusuri keberadaan orang-orang dari Nusantara yang dibawa oleh VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie/Perusahaan Hindia Timur Belanda) sebagai budak ke pulau buatan di Teluk Nagasaki, bagian Selatan Jepang yaitu Pulau Dejima. Sebagai satu-satunya pintu bagi Jepang untuk membuka diri terhadap Barat selama periode isolasi yang berlangsung lebih dari 2 abad (1633-1853). Batavia pada waktu itu telah menjadi kantor pusat V.O.C yang memiliki peran penting dalam menyokong ekspansi Belanda atas kawasan-kawasan strategis di wilayah Asia lainnya. Kota ini dikelilingi benteng dengan jumlah penduduk sekitar 27.000 orang, 16.000 diantaranya adalah budak (berdasarkan sensus tahun 1673). Alasan V.O.C membangun benteng adalah melindungi mereka dari serangan luar, binatang liar juga ketakutan abadi akan orang Jawa. Mereka menganggap orang Jawa adalah penganut Islam yang berbeda dengan di Timur Tengah sebab kental campuran aliran kepercayaan lokal dalam ajarannya. Untuk itu mereka selalu berpikir ulang untuk menjadikannya budak. Budak-budak yang diberangkatkan ke Dejima berasal dari Pulau Bali dan kepulauan Indonesia Timur lainnya. Peran mereka sangat penting karena bekerja untuk kegiatan sehari-hari seperti menyiapkan makanan, memelihara ternak, menghibur hingga menjaga anak tuannya. Dalam lukisan-lukisan Kawahara Keiga dan jurnal-jurnal Opperhoofd keberadaan dan peranan para budak (walaupun jumlah mereka sangat banyak) kerapkali terpinggirkan dan hanya terdokumentasi dalam lukisan menjadi ornamen eksotis saja. Melalui pembuatan life size standee, Irwan dan Tita ingin menghadirkan kembali peran dan keberadaan para budak dalam ruang sejarah yang terlupakan. Dalam prosesnya mereka melibatkan seniman jalanan berbakat yang biasa mangkal di kawasan Kota Tua. Melalui bakat alaminya mereka mereproduksi lukisan budak ke dalam bentuk life size standee untuk ditempatkan di ruang-ruang Museum Sejarah Jakarta. Sebagai wujud reflektif bagi bangsa ini, terlebih Indonesia masih menjadi negara pengirim tenaga kerja ke luar negeri dan keberadaan para Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (TKI) kerapkali termajinalkan.

Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina conducted this research project during their residency at Arts Maebashi, Japan in 2018. The intention of the project is to focus on the historical relationship that existed between Batavia and Dejima through the paintings of Kawahara Keiga (1786-1860) and the diaries of the Opperhoofden (Chiefs of the VOC factory at Dejima). As Irwan and Tita are both artists, they have attempted to trace the existence of people from the Indonesian Archipelago who were shipped by the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie/Dutch East India Company) as slaves to an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, southern Japan known as Dejima. This was the only place in Japan that was open to Western trade during the isolation period for more than 2 centuries (1633-1853). At that time, Batavia was the headquarters of the VOC and played an important role in supporting the expansion of the Dutch in strategic areas throughout the Asian region. The city was surrounded by walls with a population of 27,000 of which 16,000 were slaves (recorded census in 1673). The reason why the VOC built such walls was to protect them from any outside attacks, wild animals and an intrinsic fear of Javanese people. Such a fear of the Javanese people originated from their adherence to Islam, even though it was different from the Middle East due to it being a mixture of local beliefs and Islam. Therefore, the VOC operated carefully before making any Javanese people slaves. The slaves that were sent to Dejima were mostly from the island of Bali and the eastern islands. Their roles were incredibly important for day to day living such as preparing food, tending to livestock, providing entertainment and looking after their masters’ children. As we can see in Kawahara Keiga’s paintings and in the diary extracts of the Opperhoofden, the slaves’ existence and roles were very often marginalized (although their numbers were huge) to the extent that they were often depicted in paintings as mere exotic ornaments. Through the creation of a ‘life-size standee’, Irwan and Tita seek to reconstruct the existence and roles of slaves within the forgotten historical rooms. For this process, they have involved talented street artists who hang out in the Kota Tua (Old Town) area. They have turned the slave paintings into life-size standees and placed them in the rooms of the Jakarta Historical Museum. This act is a significant reflection of Indonesia in the modern world as this nation still sends labourers abroad, and more often than not, Indonesian migrant workers still find themselves being marginalized.

6.
Sunah Choi

Woven
Ditenun
Video, 8’ 19”
2018

Woven takes a close-up photo of traditional patterns of different cultures printed in pictorials and lay them across each other. These include the Batik and Songket from Indonesia, the Tapa from Oceania, and Arabesque from the Islamic culture, and the Minwha(民畫) from Korea. The differences and similarities of various cultures unfold abstractly, yet narratively, in the form of moving images that flow through time and line.

Proses menenun adalah dengan menggambil foto close-up pola tradisional dari berbagai budaya yang dicetak dalam ilustrasi dan meletakkannya saling berhadapan satu sama lain. Termasuk di dalamnya adalah Batik Songket dari Indonesia, Tapa dari Oseania, dan Arabesque dari budaya Islam, dan Minwha((民畫) dari Korea. Perbedaan dan persamaan dari berbagai budaya terbuka secara abstrak, namun juga secara naratif berbentuk gambar yang bergerak mengalir melintasi ruang dan waktu.

7.
Seminar and exhibition tour
October 13, 2018 at 2-4 pm / 6:30-8:30pm
Jakarta History Museum

Seminar
○ Introduction: Sunyoung Oh (Independent Curator)
○ Speaker: Mahardika Yudha (Artist)

“Archiving and collection of institutions in Indonesia from 2000 until now”

MENGHIDUPKAN ARSIP
Arsip sejarah merupakan sumber pengetahuan yang tidak ada habisnya untuk dilihat kembali dari satu masa ke masa yang lain, dari satu generasi ke generasi yang lain, dari satu sudut pandang ke sudut pandang yang lain. Situasi sosial masyarakat pada suatu masa menjadi sangat menentukan bagaimana pembacaan kembali arsip-arsip sejarah itu sesuai dengan konteks zamannya. Ada narasi yang kemudian berkembang, ada narasi yang kemudian terkoreksi, atau bahkan ada narasi yang kemudian terbuka untuk disanggah. Di masa teknologi digital dan internet hari ini, arsip-arsip sejarah itu semakin mudah diakses, dikoreksi, dan bahkan diubah. Kemudahan yang telah membuka berbagai kemungkinan untuk membaca dan mengevaluasi masa lalu untuk masa depan. Ia tidak hanya sebagai rekonstruksi dan refleksi atas peristiwa masa lalu, tetapi memiliki peluang untuk dimaknai kembali. Bahkan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, arsip-arsip sejarah yang dibangun oleh negara atau para akademisi, mendapat semacam tantangan dari kehadiran arsip-arsip sejarah yang dibangun oleh publik yang semakin mudah diakses. Antara narasi-narasi besar yang dibangun oleh negara kemudian berhadapan dengan gelombang narasi-naras kecil yang dibangun oleh publik. Namun, apakah kedua narasi itu akan saling berhadapan? Ataukah justru akan melengkapi dan melegitimasinya? Begitu banyak wacana yang muncul dari arsip-arsip sejarah. Di sisi lain, persoalan arsip di Indonesia merupakan persoalan yang tidak kunjung selesai. Pengelolaan arsip masih menjadi persoalan utama yang membutuhkan penanganan secepatnya. Tengok saja bagaimana arsip-arsip gambar bergerak kita yang sampai hari ini masih banyak yang terbengkalai, baik yang berada di lembaga arsip negara maupun swasta. Persoalan ini tak hanya berhenti pada semakin rusaknya arsip-arsip sejarah tersebut, tetapi juga telah menutup kemungkinan pintu untuk membaca dan mengembangkan arsip-arsip sejarah itu sehingga pengetahuan dapat terus diproduksi dan arsip-arsip sejarah itu pun menjadi ‘hidup’. Ia tidak pasif, tetapi aktif.
Dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir, fenomena menggunakan arsip-arsip sejarah sebagai sumber artistik yang dilakukan oleh para seniman di Indonesia semakin banyak. Fenomena ini tidak hanya memperlihatkan bahwa ada semacam usaha dan kebutuhan untuk melihat kembali sejarah, tetapi juga kebutuhan untuk ‘menghidupkan’ arsip-arsip sejarah tersebut. Fenomena ini telah membuka berbagai macam kemungkinan pembacaan sejarah, baik sejarah besar yang dibangun oleh negara maupun akademisi maupun sejarah kecil yang diciptakan oleh publik. Fenomena ini telah memperkaya khasanah pengetahuan masyarakat akan pentingnya arsip-arsip sejarah sebagai produk kebudayaan.

ACTIVATE THE ARCHIVE
It goes without saying that historical archives are endless sources of knowledge that can be viewed from one time to another, from one generation to another, and from one perspective to another. The social situation of the people at one particular time is in itself incredibly significant in how the reading of historical archives occurs in accordance with the context of that particular era. This dictates the narrative that then develops, the narrative that is then corrected, or even the narrative that is then open to be refuted. Nowadays, the era of digital technology and the Internet has improved the ability to access historical archives which in turn has led to an increase in the number of corrections and even modifications of historical archives. The ease of such access has invariably opened up a range of possibilities for reading and evaluating the past for the future. It is not only viewed as reconstruction and reflection on past events but also as an opportunity to be reinterpreted. Even over the past few years, historical archives originally built by the state or academics, have been somewhat challenged by the presence of historical files that have been built by the public and are becoming increasingly accessible. Between the large narratives that were built by the state and deemed as tangible until the arrival of waves of small narratives built by the public, will the two narratives ever face each other? Or more than likely, will they simply complement and legitimize the smaller narratives (each other)? It is clear that so much discourse arises from historical archives. On the other hand, the issue of archives in Indonesia is a problem that does not seem to have an ending. At this moment in time, archive management is still a major problem that requires immediate handling. You only have to look at how our moving image archives are still neglected today both by the state and in private archives to understand the problems we face. This issue does not only stop at the destruction of the historical archives but also closes the possibility of the door that would allow us to read and develop the historical archives to ensure that knowledge can continue to be produced and shared. It is imperative that the historical archives are kept ‘alive’, so they are an active part of our society and not a passive one.
In the last ten years, the phenomenon of using historical archives as an artistic resource carried out by artists in Indonesia has significantly increased. This phenomenon not only indicates that efforts have been made to look back at history out of necessity, but also due to the necessity to ‘turn on’ these historical archives. This phenomenon has opened up a variety of possibilities for reading history, both the substantial history built by the state and academics as well as the minor history created by the public. This phenomenon has undoubtedly enriched public knowledge of the importance of historical archives as a product of culture.

8.
Exhibition Tour with Komunitas Historia Indonesia
○ Tour guider: Asep Kambali (Founder of Komunitas Historia Indonesia)
○ Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
○ Registration starts at 4 pm at the info desk of the Jakarta History Museum.