ARTJOG MMXXI: Arts in Common – Time (to) Wonder

Group Exhibition
Jogja National Museum
Jl. Prof. DR. Ki Amri Yahya No.1
Pakuncen,Wirobrajan,Yogyakarta
Indonesia
08/07/2021 - 31/08/2021

We, humans, really are actually not far from time. In our daily activities we are often controlled by quantitative time—with deadline, schedule and age as its measurement. We are immersed in time, which qualitatively is the process of human life itself. The dimension of time is inherent in every inch of space we live in. But, have we ever really tried to dive into the 'what' and 'where' time is? It's no exaggeration to say that time is a mystery throughout the ages.
Science, religion and philosophy have defined time in different ways. Not to mention if you dive into various views about time in different cultural contexts. In the daily life of people in Indonesia, especially in Java, we can still find a gap between 'objective time' (based on clock or calendar) and 'subjective time' (based on individual perception, as reflected in term of 'rubber clock' for example).
The understanding of 'time motion' is also differentiated binaryly. On the one hand, time is believed to move linearly (from the past, to the present and to the future). This view is often regarded as the 'legacy of Western modern logic'. While in other perspectives, time is understood as an entity that moves in a circular and a cyclic manner—it is said that this belief is derrived from the philosophy of Eastern religions. The different perspective and dynamic of the debate about time seem to emphasize how humans do not have enough power to understand it. Time as a problematic concept and has multiple meanings is what ARTJOG MMXXI tries to discuss.
With Time (to) Wonder as its title, this year ARTJOG picks time as an issue—in its wide spectrum of understanding—through the perspectives and artistic practices of the artists. Through special invitation and open call, the curatorial selection eventually narrowed down to forty-one artists who present works through various mediums. Nevertheless, it is quite clear how their interpretation of time can still be identified through several dominant key concepts, such as 'memory', 'history', 'monument', etc. It's also interesting to observe how artists tend to relate 'time' to the past. The imagination of the artists in this exhibition seems to be more driven by the legacy of the past, rather than the projection of the future. Does this regressive tendency represent the cultural perspective of Indonesian society in general? Of course, this is an interesting topic, especially if it is related to the understanding of 'contemporary art' which has been synonymous with 'the present'.
Art practice always represents a deep reflection on human understanding of a thing at a time. Although not always manifested in objectively and systematically formulated conclusions (as in science), the creative experiments of artists are able to uncover—idiosyncratically and sometimes unexpectedly—the unsolved mysteries of the world. ARTJOG has always fully believed in the capacity of art to reveal the hidden, unthinkable and immeasurable dimensions of human understanding. The title Time (to) Wonder here has a double meaning: First, time is placed in relation to the 'enchantment of magic' and the 'depth of mystery' of the time dimension (time wonder). Second, this exhibition is also an invitation to re-question (it's time to wonder) everything, to avoid all stereotypical notions of 'contemporary/modernity' trend.
Art practice always represents a deep reflection on human understanding of a thing at a time. Although not always manifested in objectively and systematically formulated conclusions (as in science), the creative experiments of artists are able to uncover—idiosyncratically and sometimes unexpectedly—the unsolved mysteries of the world. ARTJOG has always fully believed in the capacity of art to reveal the hidden, unthinkable and immeasurable dimensions of human understanding. The title Time (to) Wonder here has a double meaning: First, time is placed in relation to the 'enchantment of magic' and the 'depth of mystery' of the time dimension (time wonder). Second, this exhibition is also an invitation to re-question (it's time to wonder) everything, to avoid all stereotypical notions of 'contemporary/modernity' trend.

Tim Kurator ARTJOG
Agung Hujatnikajennong | Bambang Toko Witjaksono | Ignatia Nilu

https://www.artjog.id/index.php