The media arts festival known as OK Video returns this year with Orde Baru (New Order) as its central theme. Orde Baru, of course, refers to the period during the Soeharto Regime's hold over Indonesia (1965-1998), and 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Orde Baru. As you will read in OK Video's explanation below, the use of analog technology used to control information, and the use of digital technology in providing a new perspective toward the beliefs that have been established during that era.
Opening on the 14th of June and ending on the 28th at Galeri Nasional (Jakarta), do take a look at the works of 73 artists from Indonesia and abroad and their response towards the theme of Orde Baru.
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ruangrupa proudly presents
ORDE BARU OK. Video - Indonesia Media Arts Festival 2015
You are cordially invited to the Opening Night
Sunday, 14 June 2015
16.00 - 22.00
at Galeri Nasional Indonesia
Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14
Gambir, Central Jakarta
Performances by bequiet, Brisik, AstoneA, Racun Kota and special performance by ruangrupa
Festival
15 - 28 June 2015
10.00 - 18.00
Programs
Workshops: 3 - 23 June
Open Lab: 14 - 19 June
Symposium: 15 June
Discussion: 17, 23, 24 June
Multimedia Performances: 20, 21, and 26 June
OK. Video Festival is back for the seventh time! This year OK. Video presents 'Orde Baru' (New Order) as its axis theme. As the festival's central theme, New Order will confront two things: (1) the analog media technology politics controlled and used by authoritarian regimes (the state) to build public perception and resolve their problems, and (2) digital media technology politics increasingly controlled by the public after the end of Cold War that saw the fall of authoritarian regimes around the world and the onset of democracy. The reading of analog media technology with digital media technology is intended to produce new perspectives of seeing history and the myths of public perception created by authoritarian regimes that prevail even to this day.
A total of 73 artists from 21 countries such as Japan, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Taiwan, Czechoslovakia, South Korea, the Philippines, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Russia, Venezuela and Canada, will be participating this year. 12 shortlisted artists from the Open Submission are among the number. Three best shortlisted works will be announced on the day of the opening.
For more information, please log on to www.okvideofestival.org
Participating artists:
Ade Darmawan (Indonesia), Andreas Siagian (IDN), Anggun Priambodo (IDN), Anouk de Clercq (BEL), Arahmaiani (IDN), Ari Dina Krestiawan (IDN), Ari Satria Darma (IDN), Ary 'Jimged' Sendy (IDN), AstoneA (IDN), Bagasworo Aryaningtyas (IDN), Basir Mahmood (PAK), bequiet (IDN), Biro Arsitek (IDN), Brisik (IDN), Carlos Motta (COL), Cecil Mariani (IDN), Chabib Duta Hapsoro & M.R. Adytama Pranada (IDN), Che Onejoon (KOR), Chto Delat (RUS), Contact Gonzo (JPN), Cut and Rescue (IND), Digital Nativ (IDN), Diodoran (IDN), Douwe Dijkstra (NLD), Edwin & Thomas A. Østbye (IDN/NOR), Eric Baudelaire (FRA/USA), Fluxcup (IDN), Forum Lenteng (IDN), Francois Knoetze (ZAF), Geert Mul & Michel Banabila (NLD), Hafiz (IDN), Halaman Papua (IDN), Henry Foundation (IDN), Ika Vantiani & Feransis (IDN), IndoPROGRESS (IDN), Ip Yuk Yiu (CHN/HKG), Irama Nusantara (IDN), Irwan Ahmett (IDN), Jakarta Wasted Artists (IDN), Jan Patrick D. Pineda (PHL), Jatiwangi Art Factory (IDN), Johannes Gierlinger (AUT), Julia Sarisetiati (IDN), Krisgath (IDN), Krisna Murti (IDN), Lab Laba Laba (IDN), lifepatch (IDN), Lyubov Matyunina (RUS/NLD), Make.Do.nia (IDN), Marishka Soekarna (IDN), Marko Schiefelbein (DEU), Mella Jaarsma (IDN), MG Pringgotono (IDN), Nastasha Abigail & Raslene (IDN), Oliver Ressler & Dario Azzellini (AUT/VEN/DEU), oomleo (IDN), Otty Widasari (IDN), PM TOH (IDN), Racun Kota (IDN), Reza Afisina (IDN), Reza 'Azer' Mustar (IDN), Ricky 'Babay' Janitra & Klub Karya Bulu Tangkis (IDN), Rizki Lazuardi (IDN), Rizki Resa Utama (IDN/DEU), Roberto Santaguida (CAN), Saleh Husein (IDN), Sidang Imajinasi (IDN), The Otolith Group (UK), The Propeller Group (VNM), The Secret Agent (IDN), WAFT Lab (IDN), Yao Jui-Chung (CHN/TWN), Zbyněk Baladrán (CZE)
The 2 day festival celebrating jazz music and the breathtaking nature of Bromo returns with a line up that will surely satisfy your music-cravings. The line up seems more restrained than last year, but with artists such as Ring of Fire project ad Yuri Jo Collective, this year's Jazz Gunung is one for those who enjoy great musicianship. The show begins this friday so hurry and get the tickets.
Indahnya jazz, merdunya gunung.
Performing artists:
Tulus
Andien
Ring of Fire Project feat. Tohpati & Endah Laras
Nita Aartsen feat. Ernesto Castilo
Ina Ladies
Yuri Jo Collective
Beben Jazz and Friends
Malacca Ensemble
Jay and Gatra Wardaya with Su:m
Hosted by: Butet Kartaredjasa, Alit & Gundhi
For tickets, head to www.JazzGunung.com
instagram: JazzGunung
facebook: JazzGunung
twitter: JazzGunung
The name Homogenic should be familiar to followers of Indonesian music. The group has been involved in Bandung's music scene for over a decade now (established in 2002). With 4 releases under their belt, the group returns as HMGNC, and after intensively preparing their next album the self-described electronic sci-pop group has released a brand new song for their fans and soon to be fans to enjoy.
In collaboration with Papermoon Records, "Today and Forever" is a mid-tempo atmospheric experience, with washes of synth pads enveloping listeners, a steady drum machine in the pocket supporting it, and smooth vocals leading the track with romantic and hopeful lyrics as the centerpiece of the music. The dreamy vibe creates a contemplative mood, with Amandia Syachridar's silky voice reciting lyrics such as "Asleep and awake, happy and sad, aware and subconscious - with you, with you, with you, I've fallen in love with you" in the midst of the instrumentation almost as if the music is in her head - daydreaming of a new love or perhaps an unhealthy passionate obsession. The music ends with the sound of the synths oscillating into a snowball of sound, reaching the climax as if the mood and feelings can no longer be contained nor controlled. "Today and Forever" is a very sweet song, take a listen through the link below, and it is a free download for a limited time, so go to their Soundcloud page and add it into your digital music library.
Also, the group promises to release new songs in the upcoming months in support of their upcoming new album, so keep an eye out.
photos by: Ade Sulistioputra
article by: Athina Ibrahim
With the rise of creative outlets in Jakarta – ranging from coffee shops, online media, or letterpress studio – created by former Indonesian students’ from Australia, it was only a matter of time an event would be created to bring these young creatives into one room.
Last Wednesday night, the entertainment agency, – which brought Mac DeMarco to Jakarta – organized a celebration of Australian Alumni’s in the event . With the support from the Australian Embassy, the spacious arena of Empirica was transformed into a concert hall where we first noticed a number of fresh graduates blending with the Australian expatriates in Jakarta.
The first performance to take the stage was , a four-member band where vocalist Bam Mastro first started his musical project in Australia before returning with new band members, Dewa Pratama (Synth), John Paul Patton (Bass), and Bayu Adisapoetra (Drums). Whether it is through slow tempo built up or quick introductory rhythms, Elephant Kind manages to draw people in through Bam’s soulful voice. They also covered a classic 80s Australian track in their set.
“Perth inspired me to where I am today,” shares vocalist of , Ratih Suryahutamy, second up in line, as she talks about the infectious music diversity she was exposed to then. Mesmerizing the crowd with the collected stage presence and her vocals that easily switch between dreamy whispers to strong long-range vocals, Neonomora has been listed on countless local and international media for her strong vocals and ability to explore creative mediums into her art. That night, she performed the set from her latest album “Seeds” and also the song “You Want My Love,” which set her to where she is today.
Last to perform was the anticipated Australian band with their humorous and friendly persona as frontman and guitarist Sam Hales interacted with the crowd with his understanding of Indonesian slang as “gokil” and “alay.” They gave a good end to the night as we enjoyed songs accompanied by screams of fan girls shouting their admiration towards Andrew Dooris (Bassist) and Cesira Aitken (guitarist). Just as it is sunny and warm down under in Australia, this Australian bunch proved to bring the fun and good-natured hospitality on stage and to the crowd.
As we go through the motions of education, we encounter many instructors who share their knowledge of the world with us. Some teachers inspire us beyond the walls of classrooms, and Professor Yongky Safanayong was one of those teachers. The design professor passed away this morning after having been ill for the past months, and as news of his passing spread, his many students have offer words of remembrance dedicated to him.
Born on the 26th of August 1950, Professor Safanayong spent the majority of his life in Jakarta and graduated from the Arts Department of Trisakti University in 1980, before teaching Trisakti University, and Pelita Harapan University. His relationship with students is that of dedication and affection, not only did he teach the necessary tools of the trade, and like any good teacher offered them a perspective, but he also formed personal bonds with students - bestowing knowledge inside and outside the classroom. It is no surprise that Professor Safanayong is the favorite of many students, including many in Whiteboard Journal, Studio1212, and Footurama who have come and gone.
In an interview we did with the professor, we found that he considered design to be a 'spiritual' affair, a God-given artform that teaches us to be aware and understand our surroundings. In that same interview, he also equated teaching to piety, saying that it was a calling for him to teach and that "...if we have the knowledge to share, we should share." When we asked him a general life question about how to cope with the struggles one faces in life, he replied "Everything is a challenge. I truly believe with optimism we can overcome anything. Never back down when challenges arise." and then ends his answer with "We shouldn’t look for stability. We must keep on going and growing until the day we die."
His knowledge, dedication, positive outlook, and kindness are his legacy, and one that we can all take example of.
Rest In Peace Professor Yongky Safanayong.
In 2002, Indonesian curator Amir Sidharta published , a homage to Arie Smit as the eldest foreign painters who worked before and after the World War II. The book offers a view of the artist’s vibrant life and career through the collection of his paintings. It contains approximately 500 of Smit’s tens of thousands paintings. Through this book, Smit also wants to share his experience as an artist and inspire the young generation of Balinese artists and collectors. Recently released was the limited, artist-signed and richly-illustrated of. Arie Smit has been a major contributor to Indonesian art, and that makes is a must for collectors and enthusiast in Indonesia.
Adrianus Wilhelmus Smit, better known as Arie Smit, is a seminal Dutch-born Indonesian artist. Smit first arrived in Bali in 1956 and fell in love its landscapes and seascapes that he decided to make the island his permanent home. In the early 1960s, the painter supplied art materials to the youth in the village of Penestanan, Ubud and made them his students. Later, they created a painting style known as “Young Artists” style. Arie Smit found Bali as the right place to express his imagination and Bali has been his main inspiration of his paintings until now.
Bali’s influences in Smit’s paintings can be seen as he often pictures Balinese scenery as the object and uses many different colors. He came from a country with four seasons which the illumination is different from tropical islands like Indonesia especially Bali. The scenery in Smit’s origin country is dominated by monotous colors like grey, black, and white, while the landscapes in Bali are dominated by bright colors. Smit puts the various colors on his paintings of settings in Bali like temples, ricefields, as well as Balinese people. This using of rich colors to paint everyday scenery has been always Arie Smit’s style.
Arie Smit has been a major foreign artist in Indonesia. He received Dharma Kusuma award in 1992 and his works have been displayed in many exhibition including at the East West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at the CSIS Jakarta.
Purchase the book here: http://www.afterhoursbookshop.com/products/vibrant-arie-smit
Elsa Safira Hestriana
