Image: Artists celebrate the anniversary of Seniwati Gallery, circa 2000. Courtesy of Seniwati Gallery and Mary Northmore. Collection of Indonesian Visual Art Archive.
Co-presented by AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research, and Exhibitions, Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong) and Indonesian Visual Art Archive (Yogyakarta), this programme brings together a group of leading scholars and curators to highlight recent scholarship on gender diversity in art histories in Southeast Asia.
Hosted at the Indonesian Visual Art Archive, the programme features three panels exploring issues of gender in art history. Inspired by the poem “The Portrait of a Woman 1938” by Indonesian poet Toeti Heraty (1933–2021), the title The Flow of History evokes the vital work of memory in archiving precarious histories. The panels raise transversal historical questions about gender in the biographies and practices of women and femme-identified artists in Southeast Asia, while remaining attuned to the region’s diversity and its particular sociopolitical dynamics through pivotal periods such as decolonisation.
The first panel focuses on research, curatorial, and artistic strategies that extend beyond an understanding of gender-centric exhibitions and publications as “recovery projects.” The second panel reflects on ethical and political considerations in the documentation of women and queer artists’ lived experiences, while the third panel investigates how women artists have navigated transcultural exchange and how their methods offer potential for emancipation.
Speakers include members of the advisory committee for “The Flow of History: Southeast Asian Women Artists,” a three-year joint research initiative co-presented by AAA and AWARE, and researchers and curators from Indonesia-based initiatives such as Kelas Liarsip and Queer Indonesia Archive.
Practical information
Saturday, November 16, 2024, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm
Indonesian Visual Art Archive, Yogyakarta
Jalan Ireda, Dipowinatan MG I/ 188 A-B, Keparakan, Mergangsan, Yogyakarta 55152
Free and open to the public
Speakers
Riksa Afiaty (IVAA), Özge Ersoy (AAA), Karla Segura Pantoja (AWARE), and Nina Volz (AWARE)
This panel explores critiques of gender-focused exhibitions and publications as “recovery projects” driven by compensatory impulses. It examines the role of women artists in shaping art narratives in Southeast Asia, with particular emphasis on the contributions of women artist-organisers in collectives, archives, and knowledge exchange platforms. The discussion underscores the importance of situating the study of individual artworks and artists within broader contexts of gender visibility and representation in art history.
Speakers
Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez (Associate Professor, Department of Art Studies, University of the Philippines Diliman), Yvonne Low (Lecturer, Discipline of Art History and Museum Studies, University of Sydney), and Grace Samboh (Researcher and Curator, Member of Hyphen—)
Moderator
Özge Ersoy (Senior Curator, Asia Art Archive)
This panel delves into the conversations and inquiries around the recording of lived experiences, emphasising the importance of accountability and accessibility in archival methods. Key questions include: How do we document embodied experiences? What methods should we use in collecting? Who should be represented, and what content is essential? How do we ensure accountability as archivists? Additionally, how should we share these archives? Drawing on community-based practices and various case studies, this discussion addresses critical questions regarding the ethical and political considerations inherent in the relationship between archives and the lived experiences of women and queer artists and filmmakers.
Speakers
Karina (Program Officer & Community Archivist, Queer Indonesia Archive), Umi Lestari (Writer and Curator, Member of Kelas Liarsip), Julita Pratiwi (Film Researcher and Scholar, Member of Kelas Liarsip), and Wong Binghao (Writer, Editor, and Curator)
Moderator
Putu Sridiniari (Researcher, Indonesian Visual Art Archive)
This panel explores international and transcultural dimensions in the works and trajectories of Southeast Asian women and non-binary artists, examining diverse perspectives on cultural encounters. Drawing from different periods and sociopolitical contexts, the panel investigates how these artists have navigated between the local and the global to challenge their social roles and overcome gender-specific boundaries. Considering the impact of transcultural interactions on the subject positions of these artists, the panel also examines the potential for emancipation that transnational encounters represent for women artists.
Speakers
Sarena Abdullah (Associate Professor of Art History at the School of Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia), Pamela Nguyen Corey (Associate Professor of Art History, Faculty of Art & Media Studies, Fulbright University Vietnam), Alia Swastika (Director, Biennale Jogja Foundation / Curator and Researcher), and John Tain (Curator and researcher)
Moderator
Nina Volz (Head of International Development, AWARE) and Karla Segura Pantoja (Editorial Coordinator, AWARE)
