Mapless Navigation
During the course of Biennale Jogja Equator series, Indonesian curators cooperated with partner curators from the regions or countries becoming the focus of studies in that year. However, in Biennale Jogja XVI Equator #6, the composition of Curator Team comprises all Indonesian curators. The absence of partner curators from Oceania turned the journey in designing this year’s Biennale Jogja into a mapless navigation. The presence of a partner curator is vital because it acts as a ship outrigger balancing the perspectives, an adventurous friend helping to stretch the conceptual sail or a navigator planning the direction of reading route.
In the first months working on Biennale Jogja XVI Equator #6, we had the opportunity to contact several potential partner curators based in Aotearoa, Port Moresby, and Nouméa. However, these efforts hit a dead end for various reasons. The circumstances were difficult due to the pandemic. At one point, considering the increasingly shorter preparation time, we decided to work without any partner curator from Oceania.
From our side, this condition may be seen as a moment of loss, particularly the chance to learn from each other and to share the Oceanian culture and perspective. We had a concern that the curatorial concept presented would be one-sided, because it would only enable the one-way view from Indonesia towards Oceania and the reverse process would not occur.
In order to have more balance in the reading of the socio-cultural situations occurring in Oceania, the Curator Team then initiated an online meeting with artists, curators, researchers, and diplomats coming from, living, or studying the latest developments in the Oceania region. Through various talks, there have occurred dialogues, which enabled us to sharpen the reading of Oceania. Similar thing happened when we invited several artists to participate in the event. Within the process, we initiated numerous critical talks on the ideological position, the urgency of implementation, and how we interpret our respective positions in various political situations.
As if navigating without a map, the absence of any partner curator really affects our reading of Oceania. Instead, we took an alternative approach by increasing the dialogue spaces with various parties, enabling us to find other routes outside the map. We hope that today’s Biennale event will not fall on arbitrary reading and representation in presenting the context of art, socio-culture, and politics of the Oceania region.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]