Tutur Bentuk

Tutur Bentuk

5 August - 9 September 2023

"Tutur Bentuk" is a combination of "Speech" (words) and "Shape" (forms) , and how they are displayed. This exhibition illustrates how a "form" can be shaped through a series of stories that happened in an individual’s or collective life, then expressed in the form of works of art. Each work exhibited illustrates how "form" is closely related with a narrative and interpretation used by the artist.

Since 2018, ISA Art Gallery has been supporting Indonesian and Diaspora women artists by hosting an annual women's art exhibition, which is always set around Kartini Day. This month we are continuing our support for women artists through "Tutur Bentuk." The exhibition presents artworks by thirteen female artists, including Arahmaiani, Dian Mayang Sari, Eun Vivian Lee, Franziska Fennert, Hadassah Emmerich, Hannah Shin, Ines Katamso, Luh De Gita, Marisa R Ng, Rose Cameron, Sekar Puti, Sinta Tantra, and Vannesa Jones.

In this exhibition, the thirteen selected artists demonstrated their painting, sculpture, and paper expertise with various forms and stories. How can the meaning of contemporary practices be expressed through conventional art media? In the west, contemporary art has its roots in modern art, which focuses on finding the essence of art and processing simple forms from historical narratives. However, contemporary art shows a significant difference from this approach.

Contemporary art addresses humanitarian and global issues. The contemporary art movement became a global event in the early 1990’s, closely related to the world's socio-political situation, including attention to multiculturalism, identity politics, and environmental issues. Contemporary art is believed to be able to contribute "knowledge" and criticism through methods and ways that are different from traditional science. As independent subjects, artists express their intuition, imagination, creativity, and critical views in their works, thus providing alternative perspectives on various world problems.

Environmental issues show the negative impact of human activities on the biophysical environment. As a contemporary issue, attention to environmental issues has increased since World War II. The closest example is the waste problem in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, and Piyungan, Bantul, who are facing a similar situations: an excess amount of waste. The impact of this problem can spread to various aspects, such as water source pollution and decreasing soil quality.