Keynote Lecture | Video Vanguard: Channelling Body, Society and Spirit in Southeast Asia by Dr Edwin Jurriëns

Fri 13 Oct | 6pm | City Hall Wing, Basement 1, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium | Free, registration required: https://bit.ly/SMSY_KeynoteLecture

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In this keynote lecture, Dr Edwin Jurriëns (Convenor and Associate Professor of Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne) will discuss various concepts and contexts related to the interpretation of the works in the “See Me, See You” exhibition, arguing that the artists and their works are part of the Southeast Asian creative vanguard of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Dr Jurriëns proposes that this pioneering quality is reflected in their ability to break with the notion of the autonomy of art before reconnecting it with the praxis of life, presenting artistic innovation and imaginative visions for a better world. Moreover, the works set in motion dynamic processes of creation and reflection where audiences play an active part. Instead of just being static objects or technological tools, they can be seen as forms of corporeal, social and spiritual channelling.

The lecture will be followed by an exhibition launch reception for Part 2 of “See Me, See You: Early Video Installation of Southeast Asia”.

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About the Speaker

Edwin Jurriëns is Convenor and Associate Professor of Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne. His main research interests lie in environmental and socially engaged art and media. His publications include the monographs ‘The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons’ (Routledge, 2023) and ‘Visual Media in Indonesia: Video Vanguard’ (Routledge, 2017), as well as the edited volume ‘Digital Indonesia: Connectivity and Divergence’ (ISEAS, 2017).

He is editor of the ‘Asian Visual Cultures’ book series published by Amsterdam University Press and regional editor of ‘The Newsletter’ of the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). He has had fellowships with the Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University, Monash Art, Design and Architecture at Monash University in Melbourne, The Graduate Institute in Geneva, The University of New South Wales in Canberra, and IIAS in Leiden. He was co-convenor of the 2016 Indonesia Update of the Australian National University in Canberra.

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About the exhibition

Join us on a journey back in time to and explore the history of video installation art with “See Me, See You: Early Video Installation of Southeast Asia”. This two-part exhibition offers a fascinating look at the pivotal moments when video installation first emerged in the 1980s and 1990s.

Through experimentation, these ten Southeast Asian Artists combined installation, performance, audience participation together with video, leading to a new form of art as a result of their interdisciplinary approach.

In its first instalment, featuring works by Apinan Poshyananda (Thailand), Baharudin Mohd Arus (Malaysia), Chng Nai Wee (Singapore), Johnny Manahan (Philippines) and Jean Marie Syjuco (Philippines).

The second part, opening in October, will showcase works by Heri Dono (Indonesia), Hasnul Saidon (Malaysia), Ray Langenbach (Malaysia), Vincent Leow (Singapore) and Krisna Murti (Indonesia).