Exhibition
Para Sekutu yang Tidak Bisa berkata Tidak (The Acquiescent Allies)

Just like your all-time favorite songs, this exhibition presents a selection of works from the collections of Galeri Nasional Indonesia, Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart - Berlin, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, and Singapore Art Museum in a fresh perspective.

28.01. - 13.03.2022
Galeri Nasional Indonesia

Good news! The exhibition "Para Sekutu yang Tidak Bisa Berkata Tidak" is extended to Sunday, 13 March 2022.

28.01.–13.03.2022
Opening hours: 10 am - 7 pm
Closes on public holidays

In line with the health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, exhibition visitors are required to pre-book their visitation slot online via Galeri Nasional’s website. Slots are available for free in limited quantities daily (except for public holidays) between 10am and 7pm. Visitors can access exhibition narratives and information about the artworks by scanning QR codes in the exhibition area. Audio guides on personal devices are also available.

Galeri Nasional - Pre-book of the visitation

Researcher and curator Grace Samboh reflects on two historical exhibitions at Galeri Nasional Jakarta: 'Paris-Jakarta 1950-1960' in 1992 and 'Contemporary Art of the Non-Aligned Countries' in 1995. She poses a number of questions about the exhibitions that involve many artists from many countries: What can we learn from these exchanges? Were they merely symbolic gestures of alliances? What was the relationship among the artists? Were there actual exchanges among artists?

The exhibition "Para Sekutu yang Tidak Bisa Berkata Tidak" (literally translates to The Acquiescent Allies) explores the artists, their works, and their home countries as well as the relations among them. The title is inspired by a work that will be on display: 'Paduan Suara yang Tidak Bisa Berkata Tidak' (literally: 'The Choir that Cannot Say No', i.e. The Acquiescent Choir, 1997) by artist S. Teddy D. The work has been reproduced for the exhibition. A few of the 45 exhibiting artists are Basuki Abdullah, Bruce Nauman, Danarto, Dolorosa Sinaga, Emiria Sunassa, Jimged (Ary Sendy), Käthe Kollwitz, Öyvind Fahlström, Siti Ruliyati, Tisna Sanjaya and Walter Spies.

The exhibition entails a range of public programs for different age groups that will take place throughout the five-week exhibition period. These include a workshop and performance series 'Membangun Rumah' (Building a House) by artist Marintan Sirait, a weekly movie program curated by moving image presentation and preservation consultant Lisabona Rahman, a workshop and performance series on sound by Julian Abraham “Togar”, a collage-making workshop with artist Ika Vantiani, a leisure cycling trip along Banjir Kanal Timur lane with Jimged (Ary Sendy), and a storytelling workshop series with Grace Samboh.

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To the Workshop: Membangun Rumah with Marintan Sirait
This exhibition is part of the long-term project:

Collecting Entanglements And Embodied Histories

is a dialogue between the collections of Galeri Nasional Indonesia, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and Singapore Art Museum. Initiated by the Goethe-Institut, the project manifests as four exhibitions with distinctive curatorial narratives in the four collaborating institutions, regular online public programs livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, a video essay series by art practitioners on selected artists and more. The curatorial team consists of Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Grace Samboh, Gridthiya Gaweewong, and June Yap.

Grace Samboh

is a researcher, curator, and co-founder of the research group Hyphen (since 2011). She is the Project Director for RUBANAH Underground Hub, Jakarta (since 2019), a member of the curatorial team for 'Jakarta Biennale 2021: ESOK', and is undertaking a doctorate in Arts and Society Studies at Sanata Dharma University.