Between Declarations and Dreams: Art of Southeast Asia since the 19th Century

Synopsis

Starting in the mid-1800s, this exhibition takes you on a journey through SEA art, showing how local artists continually embraced new ideas and styles. They redefined what art could be while keeping the essence of their cultural traditions alive.

As you explore the exhibit, you’ll follow a timeline that highlights major shifts in artistic expression, revealing how closely art is tied to the region's rich and ever-changing social and political history.

The exhibition title, Between Declarations and Dreams, is credited to one of Indonesia’s most cherished poets, Chairil Anwar. In his poem of 1948, “Krawang-Bekasi”, Anwar laments the massacre of villagers in West Java by the Dutch colonial forces, giving vent to the desire for national independence. This line may also be said to encapsulate the experiences of many artists in the region, as they are caught between declarations and dreams, the personal and the political.

The curatorial narrative explores four main themes in a broadly chronological sequence, each one examining the shared artistic impulse of the region for each period.