Ruang MES 56 Pavillion

Artist : Ruang MES 56 (ID), Alam Rafif Alfa (ID), Arief Budiman (ID), Eris Setiyawan (ID), Fransisco Edwardo (ID), Juanda M Arvis (ID), Vandy Rizaldi (ID), Vincentius Ola Lamapaha (ID), Wimo Ambala Bayang (ID)

In relation to the theme of diaspora carried by Baan Noorg Biennial, MES 56 offers a discourse on ‘perantauan’. The term refers to individuals or groups that move, sail, or migrate to a new area. Similar to diaspora, people engaged in perantauan are in search of a new life, either intentionally or by force.

As a country formed by islands, Indonesians have been merantau since before our independence and uniting under one constitution. Hopes, expectations, motivations, consequences, and obstacles that accompany Indonesians engaging in perantauan evolve within social and political conditions.

Through this discourse, MES 56 presents two artworks that reflect on it. First, there is ‘Berlayar Mendengar, Melabuh Bertumbuh,’ a presentation from our latest collective residency on islands that have distinctive cultural qualities resulting from the migration of their ancestors. Then, there is ‘Jauh di Sana, Dekat di Sini,’ an attempt to reflect on perantauan in the context of modern Indonesia. Alongside the latter, we present several archives as a retrospective of our artistic approach.