The JAKARTA Biennale was born from the Great Indonesian Painting Exhibition (PBSLI) which was initiated by the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ), and held at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) in 1974. The Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) plays an important role in the development and promotion of art in Jakarta and its surroundings. .
As the owner of the Jakarta Biennale program, DKJ plays a central role in maintaining the sustainability of one of the most prestigious contemporary art events in Indonesia. Through its vision and mission, DKJ has made the Jakarta Biennale an event that not only enriches the arts ecosystem, but also encourages cross-disciplinary and cultural dialogue, making art a tool for social transformation.
DKJ’s role in this program is as a facilitator, director and supporter, ensuring that each edition of the Jakarta Biennale is relevant to current developments and has a significant impact on the wider community.
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This year, the Jakarta Biennale celebrates its 50th anniversary, and after being held in a number of art spaces and public spaces, which have been its character so far, the 2024 Jakarta Biennale will be held again at TIM.
This year’s event was carried out by 20 art collectives and entities in Jakarta who are members of the Jakarta Council. They are: RajutKejut, Setali Indonesia, Cut and Rescue, PannaFoto Institute, Indonesian Morning Class, Paseban Community, TrotoART, Gudskul Ecosystem, Westwew, Jakarta Wasted Artists, Atelir Ceremai, Indonesian Sculptors Association – Jakarta, Jakarta Arts Council, Serrum ArtHandling, Sanggar Seroja, Collective Pocket Gallery, Girls Pay the Bills, Indonesian Screen Printing School, Akar Child Studio, and Animal Press!.
In their hands, the method and implementation of the 2024 Jakarta Biennale is framed in the concept of “lumbung,” which can be interpreted as a container, where all resources owned by collectives/groups and individuals are stored and managed together. Through the values and way the lumbung works, the organization of the 2024 Jakarta Biennale wants to encourage the sharing of resources and power among a number of collectives/groups and community members in various areas in Jakarta.
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In the 2024 Jakarta Biennale, the Jakarta Council collaborated with a number of parties, including curators and artists from Taiwan. They collaborated in one curatorial framework under the direction of a curator from Taiwan, Sandy Hsuchiu Lo, in a program entitled Topography of Mirror Cities. Within this curatorial framework, they draw connections between six cities in six countries in Southeast Asia to envision together the idea of a livable and enjoyable city.
The six cities include Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Taipei (Taiwan), Phnom Penh (Vietnam), Bangkok (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). Topography of Mirror Cities presents collaborative works by at least 60 artists and collectives from six countries in Southeast Asia.
This curatorial program has several sub-programs, each entitled “Herbal-Urbanism,” “Whose City,” and “Mobile Topography.” All three explore the complex history and contemporary relations between Taiwan and Jakarta, including urban interactions and cultural exchange. Meanwhile, another subprogram, namely the Valley of Hope, explores similar relations between Jakarta and Malaysia.
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In organizing this year’s Jakarta Biennale, the Jakarta Council also collaborated with art collectives in Palestine in a curatorial framework entitled Our People are Our Mountains which was carried out in the form of distance instruction. This practice was chosen to overcome the environmental costs caused by modes of transportation between countries and as a symbol of all forms of limitations experienced by the Palestinian people at this time.
Through Our People are Our Mountains, artists and art collectives in Palestine transcended this limited situation by sending their ideas to the Jakarta Assembly in the form of instructions which were then presented at the Jakarta Biennale 2024. Artists and art collectives in Palestine in Our People are Our Mountains are Noor Abed, Zeynep Kayan, Adel Al Taweel, Al-Wah’at Collective (Areej Ashhab, Gabriella Demczuk and Ailo Ribas), Dalia Taha, Essa Grayeb, Om Sulaiman Farm (Yara Dowani), Sakeb, Isshaq Albabary, Mohamed Abdelkarim, Nadir Bouhmouch , Noor Abuarafeh, Reading Vigil for Palestine, Sky Hopinka, Suneil Sanzgiri, Marina Chirstodoulidou
The 2024 Jakarta Biennale is also a forum for artistic and collaborative innovation by Indonesian artists outside Jakarta who have participated in the Lab Indonesiana: Baku Konek residency program. In the residency program which will start from August to September 2024, 17 individual artists and art collectives from a number of cities in Indonesia collaborate with 11 collectives spread throughout Indonesia. This domestic residency program also aims to break the general understanding in arts and culture circles that residencies must always be carried out abroad.
The 2024 Jakarta Biennale can be held with the support of many parties, including the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemendikbudristek RI). The 2024 Jakarta Biennale will be held at TIM and several alternative spaces owned by art collectives in Jakarta on 1 October – 15 November 2024.
This year, even though it carries the name of the city of Jakarta in a biennial international fine arts event, the 2024 Jakarta Biennale is being held without the support of the Jakarta Special Regional Provincial Government. This biennial fine arts event not only presents exhibitions, but also a series of public programs which will be announced periodically via Instagram (@jakartabiennale) and the official website (Jakarta Biennale 2024. (RO/Z-3)
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