Jakarta Biennale 2015 aims to promote a continuous reading of the development of the idea of the city, which is viewed as a complex and dynamic area that reacts to both local and global changes. The Biennale amplifies the observation of sociocultural phenomena within the scope of a specific time and space. Furthermore, in the artistic context, the Biennale plays a very prominent role in challenging the latest trends in relation to the development of cultural, social and political matters both in Indonesia and internationally.
The theme of the 16th edition of Jakarta Biennale, curated by Charles Esche, is ‘Maju Kena, Mundur Kena: Learning in The Present’. This year’s event features a broad-ranging programme that includes a general exhibition, projects in public spaces, night events, exhibitions of young artists, workshops and other educational activities and symposia, as well as the publication of a catalogue. The aim is to explore the significant cultural influences found in the present of Indonesia and how they shape the image of today’s world. For this purpose it is divided into three core exhibition sections: ‘Indonesia in the 80s’, ‘The contemporary international in Jakarta’ and ‘Young Indonesian artists now’. The curators will weave three subject strands across these three exhibition elements: ‘Learning’, ‘Water’ and ‘History today’, which will cross over the abovementioned sections to allow visitors to discover them from the viewpoints of different generations.
The Spanish artist Juan Pérez Agirregoikoa has been invited by Jakarta Biennale Foundation to take part in the Biennale, with the support of AC/E.
