Perpetual Wanderer

We currently stand at the peak of globalism, and with that, it presents an increasingly pressing question towards our identity. However, we shall not assume that globalism is a concept that is recent in Indonesia. As eloquently stated by Iola Lenzi in her essay on Southeast Asian art, "Southeast Asia's history (as) one of the most culturally and commercially fluid or "globalised" zones in the world, centuries before the concept was coined." And no, it is not "brought" or "taught upon" by European spice traders; rather, it goes way back; ingrained in the culture as exemplified by the Srivijaya's Empire great ashram as a geographically and culturally strategic hub for Buddhist learning. This globalism makes identity an equally relevant discourse in the art world, with artists continuously challenging the dichotomy of the East and the West, and by extension, craft versus high art.