A large portion of the works in this exhibition have been loaned from the collections of art institutions in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Germany. A few of the works, that still belong to the collection of the artists themselves, have been exhibited on other occasions. Why do these works need to be exhibited again? Every time a work is exhibited in a different context, we have the opportunity to view the work differently. Even if you have seen one, two or three of the works in this exhibition previously, your initial thoughts about these works may change. 

This exhibition originates from the works by international artists in the collection of the Galeri Nasional Indonesia coming from two exhibitions: Paris Jakarta 1959-1960 (1992) and Contemporary Art from Non-Aligned Movement Countries (1995). These works in the collection help frame a question: Do the international artists have special relationships with artists in (or from) Indonesia, or with the artistic practices here? Are the artists familiar with each other? Or, are they just grouped together owing to similarities in age, gender, nationality, style of artistic output or artistic taste?

The next step was to explore a number of works which draw on the artists’ practices, thinking and attitudes which are connected, overlapped, and complemented the initial question. At this stage, the keywords —and a range of follow-up questions— which derive from the works and practices of a number of artists becomes the guidance: Can we find traces of solidarity (between individuals, between groups and internationally) in the artists’ practices? How does it manifest in artists’ works? If so, what kind of forms would it be? If not, how so? Are we able to understand these various forms of solidarity? Do they need to be differentiated? Do these forms of solidarity change over time?

​​Prior to entering the exhibition, imagine the exhibition is a kind of playlist or mix-tape made especially for you. And the works, texts, photos and the archives in this exhibition are the songs. Every song is chosen and displayed in a way so that you can experience them as part of a series. Every song, of course, has its own story, but to enjoy them, you don’t always need to know the story behind their creation. You just need to make space to experience these songs because they are here for you. There are many ways through which you can view these works, or experience this exhibition. And your gaze is valid, no matter what.