Southeast Asia’s art scene is bustling and has progressed quickly in recent years. In an effort to bring together artists from different Southeast Asian countries and overseas, the National Gallery of Indonesia is currently holding the triennale exhibition “Southeast Asia plus Triennale of Art (SEA+)” in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture.
In accordance with this year’s theme “ENCOUNTER: Art from Different Lands”, 31 Indonesian artists and 13 international artists from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Australia, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, have been invited to work together, creating 44 two and three dimensional pieces as well as inter media artworks in the form of paintings, objects, graphic art, photography, video art, and art installations. Artists hailing from countries beyond Southeast Asia have been chosen carefully to add another layer and enrich this exhibition as a whole.
SEA+ Triennale is Indonesia’s response towards the progress of Southeast Asia’s art development. Southeast Asian countries share similar natural, historical and cultural patterns, which ultimately create understanding responses between each country, producing one unique identity which is then translated into beautiful artwork. The exhibition is an important step for the Indonesian government to continue and develop various forms of cooperation within Southeast Asia, which previously has been established through activities and a series of agreements in the fields of economy and politics.
According to exhibition’s curators, Rizky A. Zaelani, Asikin Hasan, A. Rikrik Kusmara, and Badrolhisham M. Tahir, by bringing together ‘art from different lands’, one gains a better insight and understanding of the different perspectives, attitudes and assessments courtesy of each participating artist. While the art scene in Southeast Asia has experienced a major boost, it is growing like a mosaic – connected through structure, yet the details greatly vary, building an overall form that can’t be defined easily.
SEA+ Triennale 2016 is a welcome opportunity for Indonesian artists to showcase their proficiency and achievements in front of an international audience. The collaboration with other reputable artists from overseas adds to broadening their horizons to create even bigger accomplishments in the future.
SEA+ Triennale is held at the National Gallery of Indonesia and runs through November 10.
