teeth of the rice plant
no worries
mai pen rai
Two timely exhibitions at the Monash University Museum of Art uncover what lies beyond the fields of Australia's engagement with it nearest neighbours. The first, Taring Padi/Teeth of the Rice Plant, curated by Stuart Koop and Heidi Arbuckle, focuses on the diverse creative practices of the Indonesian grass-roots artists' collective Taring Padi. Since its inception in 1998, six months after the decline of Suharto's New Order regime, the group has actively pushed towards democracy and social justice via a unique form of cultural intervention. This vibrant collection of parodic street puppets, subversive collective paintings, protest banners, 'zines and posters, spotlights the scope of the group's creative output, its collaboration with particular communities, and its success in propelling minority views onto the agenda. The insightful presentation of a 'people's culture ' foregrounds those Indonesian voices obscured by sensational media coverage which, in recent years, has focused narrowly on the decline of Suharto's regime, East Timorese independence, and Aceh and Ambon.
The curators are mindful of the potential dangers associated with displaying ephemeral, activist art in the neutralising context of the 'white cube'. The inclusion of explanatory captions, video footage of street performances, and the understated installation together frame the works as remnants of specific, collective, cultural interventions rather than reified art objects. The exhibition thereby brings forth Taring Padi's energy and commitment to social and political change, and grapples with the broader implications of the role of art and artists in cultural activism.
Taring Padi's dynamic fusion of local traditions with the aesthetics of cultural activism resonates with the fluid concerns of MUMA's second exhibition, No Worries!/Mai Pen Rai curated by Tessa Dwyer and Sarah Tutton. The result of the creative