Papua style: Festival Salihara is renowned for bringing together Indonesia’s best art performances. Jecko Siompo, a rising star and leading figure in Indonesia’s contemporary dance, choreographed “In front of Papua” for the 2008 Festival Salihara. JP/P.J. Leo
Artspace Salihara Theater’s much awaited festival is set to kick off this Thursday with a panoply of cutting-edge performances by local and international artists.
For this year’s month-long festival, which will be held every other year from now on, the art space has invited once-jailed Malaysian political opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to speak on the subject of “Freedom and its enemies”.
The festival will also feature Tan Malaka, an opera based on the thoughts and life of the revolutionary fighter, written by essayist Goenawan Mohamad and composed by Tony Prabowo.
In his curatorial introduction, festival director Nirwan Dewanto highlighted that given his experience, Anwar was well placed to share his reflections on a topic close to Salihara’s own vision, “With the public, nurturing freedom”.
During the third Salihara Festival, which will run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 20, visitors will be presented with a plethora of art installations, musical performances, theater plays and workshops.
The festival will kick off with an ensemble of performances, where visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of what the festival has on offer for the next four weeks.
Indie band Bonita and the hus Band (BNTHB) — who perform a cross between acoustic, soul, folk and R&B — will open the festival, while choreographer Wiwiek Sipala will reinterpret the 700-year-old traditional dance from Makassar, Akkarena, in Akkarena Sombali.
The Akkarena is a contemplative dance delving into the mythical story of the gods’ separation from humans.
Video artists Taba Sanchabaktiar and Ridwan Rudianto, Anton Ismael from Third Eye Studio, Joe Christian and Heru Atmaja from Roscoe Company, as well as S. Wibowo with Dolly Ismawan from the AV Reactor, will present video mapping art installations on the opening night. The artists will project their artwork on surfaces at Salihara theater using a digital projector.
Engaged art: Artist and sculptor Wilman Hermana’s War Hole series is exhibited at Salihara art space in 2009 for an exhibition titled “War, Words and Forms”. JP/P.J. Leo
Art installations by Joko Avianto and Hedi Hariyanto will be on display throughout the festival. Joko, using bamboo, will display an installation titled Gajah (Elephant). Meanwhile, Hedi created a human size tunnel from soft drink cans titled Menapaki Jejak (Tracing the Steps).
Visitors will be able to walk through the tunnel and experience the strength of the construction supporting their weight.
Theater lovers will be spoiled with performances by local theater groups Kubur and Garasi.
Jakarta-based Kubur will present On-Off, an allegory on the destruction and hope of a nation.
Meanwhile, Yogyakarta-based Garasi will perform a theatrical essay on the traditional Indramayu art performance Tarling.
Theater director and actor Rajat Kapoor from Mumbai, India, will bring his own touch to the
festival, with an award-winning humorous play titled Hamlet the Clown Prince.
Based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Kapoor borrows elements from Shakespeare’s play to create a new performance, incorporating today’s context and references to pop culture, while keeping the essence of the original script.
A couple of New York-based musicians will showcase their craft in sound. Margaret Leng Tan, a Singapore-born maestro pianist from New York famous for playing the toy piano or kinderklavier, will perform on Oct. 5.
Music enthusiasts will revel in an unusual blend of modern and ancient with Jin Hi Kim on the electric komungo, a traditional Korean stringed musical instrument, and Gerry Hemingway on percussions.
Benton-C Bainbridge and Joel Chadman will bring digital video imaging to this novel performance called Digital Buddha.
Renowned artists like Leng Tan and members of the Australian dance group Chunky Move will rub shoulders with rising stars in the arts, who also deserve praise for bringing their unique art to
the festival, like the guitar duet Twin Demon and dance group Tresno Budoyo.
According to Nirwan, the Salihara Festival this year will be more than just a panoply of performances. “Festival Salihara, in its third edition, can be seen as the best choices of our curators.”
Salihara Festival
Sept. 23 – Oct. 20
Jl. Salihara 16, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta,
Tel. 021-789-1202
www.salihara.org
