Biennale Jogja XV Equator 5, 2019
Bilik Taiwan: The Library of Possible Encounters
Jogja Museum Complex
Curated by Alia Swastika
20 October ~ 30 November 2019
Works exhibited: Video installation of 3 works: Songs of Chuchepati, Nepal, 2017; Hear Her Singing, 2017, Commissioned by Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London, UK; Songs of Migrant Workers of Kaohsiung Harbor, 2018, Commissioned by Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, With support by Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
In the recent years, collaboration between Taiwanese art scene and SEA increases dramatically and this has led to the expanding forms of projects that touch upon the notion of identity, migration/mobility, multilayer aspect of cultural multiculturalism, art and political activism, gentrifications and so on. The theme on periphery that becomes the point of departure for curatorial frame work of the Biennale Jogja 2019 revolves around the works in this exhibition.
Bringing four artists from Taiwan with different interests and approaches to be connected with the narratives of Indonesian history, and the practice of every day life. Artist Szu Han presents series of works related to the idea of borders and territorial boundaries, while project by Lee Yung Chih looks into the in between space created by the changing landscape of urban situation from the past and the current rapid development by tracing symbols as representation of collective memory. Lin Yi Chi traces the family historical archive to discuss the notion of separation, migration and sense of displacement between families in Indonesia and Taiwan. Betty Apple is a performance artist with her strong statement towards politics of gender and body will connect with the narratives she encounters in Yogyakarta. Charwei Tsai’s videos bring some sense of nostalgic feeling from the songs sang by women in detention center in London, which emphasize her investigation of memory of homeland within their despair and displacement.