Proyek Bendera (Flag Project): Artist Talk and Participatory Workshop by Arahmaiani

Important note: Participants are advised to prepare for approximately 45 minutes of walking and carrying of flags, which will include stair climbing, and to dress in comfortable attire.

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Artist Arahmaiani is widely known for her performance and installation works that address social, political, religious and environmental issues. Beginning in Yogyakarta in 2006, “Proyek Bendera” (Flag Project) is a series of nomadic, community-based and collaborative performances initiated by Arahmaiani which incorporate colourful flags with Jawi words inscribed onto them. The words on the flags reflect ideas that originate from diverse societies and cultures which draw attention to the impermanence of the physical world as well as the importance of having a sense of belonging and love, as well as local knowledge and wisdom.

In many iterations of “Proyek Bendera”, Arahmaiani worked closely with local communities to discuss ideas and visions based on particular problems that they face, and helped to inscribe these concepts onto the flags used for their collaborative performances. They demonstrate her commitment to engage in transcultural and interreligious dialogues that often intersect with environmental concerns.

The exhibition “The Neglected Dimension” explores Arahmaiani’s practice alongside other artists from Indonesia who have reimagined the potentialities of Arabic calligraphic writing and expressions of spirituality.

Join us for an exciting programme as the artist shares more about “Proyek Bendera” and her work “Crossing Point” in the exhibition, followed by a workshop. The workshop will culminate in a collaborative performance using the artist’s flags.

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About the Artist

Arahmaiani is globally known for her performance and installation works that boldly address social, political, religious, and environmental issues. Born in 1961 in Bandung, Indonesia, in the 1980s she established herself as a pioneer in the field of performance art in Southeast Asia. Her work has dealt with issues that include contemporary politics, violence, critique of capital, the female body, and in recent years, her own identity—although she identifies as Muslim, she also mediates between Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and animist beliefs.

She often uses her public presence to raise awareness about violence in general, particularly violence or discrimination against women in Indonesia’s Islamic society. Since the September 11 attacks, she has combined her critical attitude towards Islam with a fight against its general stigmatisation. She has engaged with several communities in Yogyakarta and different parts of the world, including Pesantren Amumarta, one of the oldest Islamic boarding schools in Yogyakarta (since 2006) and with Tibetan monks on the Tibetan Plateau dealing with environmental issues (since 2010). Arahmaiani has been teaching in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Passau in Germany since 2012.

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About Dalam Southeast Asia

Dalam Southeast Asia is a project space located within the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery. Projects presented here ask critical questions and explore lesser-known narratives in Southeast Asian art, while rethinking what a collections-based display is, and what it may seek to achieve.

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About the exhibition

“The Neglected Dimension” explores the period from the 1960s onward when calligraphy and abstraction became prominent modes of artistic production in Islamic art in Indonesia. This exhibition introduces four artists associated with the modernist artistic training in Bandung, Indonesia, a key site where experimentations with Arabic calligraphy and different forms of abstraction took place. The artists are Ahmad Sadali (1924 – 1987), A.D. Pirous (b. 1932), Haryadi Suadi (1938 – 2016), and Arahmaiani (b. 1961).

The exhibition will be housed in National Gallery Singapore’s Dalam Southeast Asia Gallery from 7 July to February 2024.