Merapi: Beyond the Myths. The exhibition showcases around 5 installations made up of bricks, water tanks and sand as well as 40 drawings and 13 paintings revolving on the subject of the community and beliefs at the Merapi volcanic region.
As part of A Week of Indonesian Culture in Singapore organised by the Alliance
Française de Singapour, SOCIETE GENERALE Private Banking Gallery is holding an
exhibition entitled Merapi: Beyond the Myths by Heri Dono from Indonesia.
This
exhibition showcases around 5 installations made up of bricks, water tanks and sand
as well as 40 drawings and 13 paintings revolving on the subject of the community
and beliefs at the Merapi volcanic region. Heri Dono is known through his
installation that results from his experiments with the most popular Javanese folk
theater: wayang. In the wayang performance, a number of artistic and extra-artistic
elements - visual arts, singing, music, storytelling, mythology promotion of a
philosophy of life, social criticisms, and humor - merge into a coherent unity to
make a generic performance comprising complex elements of multimedia.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Jakarta, 12 June 1960
Currently residence in Yogyakarta
Heri Dono is unquestionably one among the Indonesian contemporary artists from
the late 1980s generation that are best known to contemporary art international
community Since early in his career up to now he has been around the world to
respond to exhibition and workshop invitations in various countries, Heri Dono is
known through his installation that results from his experiments with the most
popular Javanese folk theater: wayang. In the wayang performance a number of
artistic and extra-artistic elements - visual arts, singing, music, storytelling,
mythology promotion of a philosophy of life, social criticisms, and humor - merge
into a coherent unity to make a generic performance comprising complex elements
of multimedia. Moreover all this is coupled with the setting of a wayang
performance event that provides space for social interaction among the audience.
Heri Dono installations give the best example of the attempts at creatively
revitalizing traditional art practice profoundly rooted in Indonesia, In a lot of his
installations and performances, Heri Dono effectively makes use of performativity
and interactivity potencies so that the works are involved in intense dialogs with
their audiences.
In his paintings Heri Dono makes the most use of wild deformations and free
fantasies out of which emerge characters of wayang stories. Adding his profound
knowledge of children’s cartoon films, animation films, and comics, Heri Dono’s
canvas is always filled with highly astonishing characters of intertwined fantastic
and absurd stories. In all these Heri Dono will sometimes insert his own critical
remarks on socio-political issues in Indonesia and abroad.
For press images and enquiries contact:
Benedict Tan, Gallery Manager
benedict@alliancefrancaise.org.sg
T: +65 6833 9314
Alliance Française de Singapour
1 Sarkies Road, Level 2, - Singapore 258130
Mon to Fri, 11am to 7pm
Sat, 11am to 5pm;
Sun and PH Closed
Admission is free