Jakarta. Indonesia is set showcase an interactive work made by a collaboration of artists and curators in the prestigious Venice Biennale – the oldest international modern art exhibition in the world – next year from May 11 to Nov. 24.

Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) and Yayasan Design + Art Indonesia announced on Thursday (27/09) that "Akal tak Sekali Datang, Runding tak Sekali Tiba" ("Reason and Negotiation Never Come Just Once") by curator Asmudjo Jono Irianto, co-curator Yacobus Ari Respati and artists Handiwirman Saputra and Syagini Ratna Wulan, has been selected to be displayed in the Indonesia Pavillion at the biennale.

Asmudjo told reporters the title of the work – still subject to change – is taken from an Indonesian proverb that stresses the importance of process.

It's a gentle ribbing on a fast-moving digital world where people can access any information in an instant.

According to the artists, the work also questions and criticizes current practices and problems in contemporary art, especially in Indonesia.

It will comprise 400 lockers filled with interactive content about Indonesian arts and culture, a ferris wheel and a full-sized smoking room.

The six-meter fully functional ferris wheel represents how contemporary art is a "never-ending game," something alive that keeps evolving.

Visitors will be allowed to ride in the ferris wheel during the exhibition.

Asmudjo said he is still not sure if the biennale will allow them to build a real smoking room, but in any case the piece is intended to represent a movement against conventions.

"It’s the subversive component of our work. Contemporary art always tries to create breakthroughs, to go against the canon," he said.

Asmudjo said the artists and curators are also planning to present the work in a separate exhibition in Cirebon, West Java.

The trendy Jatiwangi Art Factory will assist in staging the Cirebon exhibition.

Asmudjo said he chose a regional location for the Indonesian exhibition to motivate local artists to make works that aren’t just beautiful, but also critical of the reality around them.

He said, "I want to show them how they can use their creativity to make groundbreaking works."

Selection Process

2019 will be the second time Indonesian artists participated in the Venice Biennale representing their country – with funding from Bekraf.

Tintin Wulia showed her oral family history-based "1001 Martian Homes" in 2017.

Other Indonesian artists have appeared in Venice Biennale, such as Heri Dono in 2015, but not as official representatives of Indonesia.

Bekraf's deputy chairman Ricky Pesik said the Indonesia Pavilion at the biennale next year will occupy 340 square meters of space in the Arsenale section, almost five times bigger than in 2017.

Selection for the artists and curators to represent Indonesia began with a focus group discussion in February this year.

Enin Supriyanto, who has resumed his position as the artistic director of the Indonesia Pavilion, said the decision to send a collaborative work instead of works by a single artist to the 2019 biennale was made soon after that.

The selection proper then began with Enin proposing the names of 60 artists and curators to a team of Bekraf judges: artist Dolorosa Sinaga, philosopher Bambang Sugiharto, artist Jim Supangkat, poet Nirwan Dewanto and another philosopher St. Sunardi.

The artists and curators had all done international projects in the last five years.

"It wouldn't be wise to choose an emerging artist for the biennale, because the technical challenges will be enormous. The artist has to have a strong vision and the ability to 'discourse' it. They will meet with the press and museum curators. If the artists don’t have much experience exhibiting in an international scale, they will find it difficult," Enin said.

The judges went for 23 names from Enin's list.

Each artist was asked to form a team comprising at least two people, and then submit a proposal.

By Sept. 15, the judges received eight proposals.

They had two things in mind when assessing them: feasibility of the work and its relevance to the development of global contemporary art.

Nirwan said the proposal from Asmudjo's team showed "coherence and unity of thoughts" and has strong "potential as a collaborative work."

Another consideration for the judges, according to Jim, was whether or not the work can represent the non-Western world, including Indonesia, in a fresh way.

Jim said attention on third-world countries like Indonesia is often focused only on its traditional arts.

The Indonesia Pavilion will be a place to show off the country’s contemporary art scene.

The judges actually chose a "runner-up" in the selection, "Synthetic Estate" by Tromarama (Feby Babyrose, Ruddy Hatumena, Herbert Hans), curator Bob Edrian Triadi and artists Riar Rizaldi and Natasha Gabriella Tontey.

Synthetic Estate is inspired by massive use of the internet.

The judges recommended that Bekraf should provide assistance to Tromarama and their partners to show Synthetic Estate in another international art event.

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