Arahmaiani
Notes after an interview with this socially involved artist, who is a key figure in the art scene of Indonesia.
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11th June 2002. 2003
Installation, Indonesian Pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennial.
On "11 June 2002" (that is the title of the installation) Arahmaiani was on her way to Canada and had to wait at Los Angeles airport for a connecting flight. She was arrested by immigration because of not having a visa for the stopover. Following a four hour-long cross-examination, she was supposed to be put in a cell. Only after long negotiations was she allowed to spend the night in the hotel room that she had reserved - under heavy surveillance. In order to be quite sure that nothing would happen, the officer - himself a Muslim from Pakistan - spent the whole night in the room with her.
In this installation, Arahmaiani turns the spectator into a voyeur, who - within the space -repeatedly bumps into insignia of a US consumer world, as if they were chance traces of her intimacy: stockings, underwear, photos on the wall, and the Qur'an on the bed.
© Photos: 4 at the top: Haupt & Binder
Below: Prüss & Ochs Gallery
Notes after an interview with this socially involved artist, who is a key figure in the art scene of Indonesia.