An artist’s perspective in reading Oceania’s curatorial frame at the Biennale Jogja XVI Equator #6 2021?
Edith Amituanai, Maria Madeira, and Shivanjani Lal talked about how artists’ perspectives in reading the Oceania curatorial frame, telling the concepts and ideas they wanted to convey and the artistic approach they used in the Biennale Jogja XVI. This program was held on Friday (29/10).
The discussion was opened by Ayos Purwoaji, the curator of the Biennale Jogja XVI and the host. The three artists were ready. They smiled at each other from their respective places.
Edith opened the discussion by telling about her childhood house. Edith’s work takes the concept of a sitting room or living room, whether it’s from New Zealand, Australia, even America.
“There is a kind of consistent and same pattern and type in the house, even though they are in different countries. I started from that idea,” explains Edith.
Edith adds that she learns that a person’s house represents what a person values. If the person respects a religion, then it will be represented in their house. And that often happens.
“This work is a new direction. And, it’s interesting how the Biennale is interested in this work because it starts with a story,” said Shivanjani Lal when she started to talk about her work.
Shivanjani’s work is often a personal lament for the loss of an ancestor and a process of self-healing. As a member of the non-contracted workers of the Indian and Pacific Ocean diaspora. This time, Shivanjani also tried to bring this idea into her work at the XVI Biennale Jogja.
Shivanjani said, when she went to her grandmother’s house, she found something. There was an odd schism that was previously a sugar cane plantation, but not anymore. This matter then became complicated but also a complex history.
“I think one of the things I keep thinking about is that I don’t want to talk about trauma. I want to talk about the hope that is also in our bodies and the potential that we all have. But I also think it actually belongs to a lot of people.”
