Gallery staff travelled to Bundaberg recently to install the touring exhibition Indo Pop: Indonesian Art from APT7 at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery. Henri Van Noordenburg, Project Officer QAGOMA Regional Services gives us an insight into the installation process and a background to the exhibition.
Touring exhibitions organised by the gallery share the state’s art Collection and programs with a network of regional Queensland galleries and community centres. The ‘Indo Pop’ tour commenced back in June 2015 and will run until September 2017 when it ends at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, during which time it will have travelled to 12 regional art galleries around Queensland.
The installation team within each regional gallery consists of a small group of staff who are heavily supported by their volunteers. Many regional galleries would not be able to operate on a daily bases if it was not for the support of these art enthusiasts.
‘Indo Pop’ presents a group of artists who were a central feature of our 2012 flagship exhibition, The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7). These works join the state’s pioneering collection of contemporary Indonesian art, and build on the strong relationship Australia sustains with one of its closest neighbours.
The exhibition features five artists and groups who are at the forefront of contemporary Indonesian art, each having significant international profiles. The artists included are Uji Handoko Eko Saputro (aka Hahan), Wedhar, Edwin Roseno, Tromarama and Tintin Wulia.
In the late twentieth century, Indonesia lived through significant social and political changes that saw the country emerge from the militaristic government of the Suharto era (1967–98) to become the largest economy in South-East Asia. Since the 1970s, groups of contemporary artists in Indonesia have banded together to challenge social, political and economic structures as well as the arts establishment, creating a powerful voice of protest and criticism in their works.
Over the past decade, a new generation of Indonesian contemporary artists, like those featured in ‘Indo Pop’ have forged careers in the wake of the Suharto era, contributing to the nation’s new status as a major centre for international art. Armed with the rebellious spirit of their predecessors, changing media platforms and a recently booming art market, this exciting group of artists tend to look to urban and popular culture for new styles to express themselves. With a fun, witty and collaborative approach, these artists explore issues such as colonialism, migration, multiculturalism, consumerism and the urban experience, concerns that will resonate with many Australians.
Take a glimpse at the newly installed ‘Indo Pop’ exhibition at the Bundaberg Regional Gallery until 16 October 2016.
On the opening weekend, the Bundaberg Regional Gallery organised a recital series within the surrounds of ‘Indo Pop’. Wendy Davis recalls the intimate evening in Indo Pop met the Baroque.
