Unmasked: Indonesian Artists in Singapore
By Marybeth Stock
Over the course of the last decade, Indonesia’s economic and social stability has transfigured the once-straightforward radical political stance of its contemporary artists to one that is not so easily defined. The defiant nature of artistic imagery during Suharto’s regime has become diluted, dispersed into more indefinable guises.
Indonesian artists today reflect a variety of ethnic, economic and aesthetic agendas and this trend has not gone unnoticed in Singapore’s market-driven art scene. This past January, Singapore’s Art Stage unveiled its unprecedented, and hugely successful Indonesian Pavilion and the upcoming Singapore Biennale will feature the works of over a dozen established and emerging Indonesian artists and collectives. This September, no less than four major galleries—including ARNDT Singapore and Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI)—put on shows demonstrating the scope of these artists' practices.
