This body of work is the product of a learning process with Taring Padi volunteers, responding to the current social and political situation in Indonesia, especially the 2019 elections. We are conscious that a critical approach is required in order to realise the aspiration of a just and prosperous society. Political education for all, and the demands of the ordinary people are the major themes of this work, although we went on to break this down into issues of corruption, tolerance, the environment and human rights.
The People's Trumpet 2018 works are woodblock prints on circular format paper with a 58cm diameter. The 22 works in the series have all been crafted by hand in a cooperative between the artists.
The process of dissemination of the People's Trumpet involved not only exhibiting them in galleries around Indonesia and the world, but also as paste-ups on walls in Jogja, Blora, and Malang. We plan to print these works as a book or zine in order that they can be more widely distributed. We also plan to document the works in film in the near future.
Taring Padi's artworks are a contribution towards igniting inspiration for people to work for the well being of humanity and to safeguard the environment.
Taring Padi work on display in Afterwork exhibition
Afterwork is a major group exhibition held from March 19 – May 29, 2016 exploring issues of class, race, labor, and migration in Hong Kong, its surrounding region, and beyond. It is part of gallery Para Site’s ongoing Hong Kong’s Migrant Domestic Workers Project, a long-term initiative aimed at engaging the domestic worker community through collaboratively organised public programmes and commissioned artist research. As an exhibition, Afterwork is nevertheless an autonomous proposition, including the often ambivalent and polychromatic aspects of the social and cultural mosaic of Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, as well as of other contexts.
Afterwork includes works by Taring Padi from the 2004 Buruh (Workers) woodcut print series that was made in response to the case around the mistreatment of female worker Nirmala Bonat. The work was previously exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum in 2004.
The exhibition also had works of Poklong Anading, Liliana Angulo, Xyza Cruz Bacani, Jean-François Boclé, Cheng Yee Man (Gum), Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Köken Ergun, Harun Farocki, Larry Feign, Hit Man Gurung, Fan Ho, Alfredo Jaar, Jao Chia-En, Eisa Jocson, Abdoulaye Konaté, Sakarin Krue-On, KUNCI Cultural Studies Center, Joyce Lung Yuet Ching, I GAK Murniasih, Daniela Ortiz, Beatrix Pang, Miljohn Ruperto, Santiago Sierra, Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, Melati Suryodarmo, Brian Gothong Tan, Maria Taniguchi, Ryan Villamael, and Elvis Yip Kin Bon.
More information about the exhibition can be seen at the Para Site Website.
A 2000 mega watt capacity Coal Power Plant is planned for development in Batang, Java, Indonesia. Claimed to be the biggest in South Asia, this power plant will threaten productive rice fields and seas rich in fish and coral reefs that are the source of livelihoods for famers and fishermen in Batang. The 5 villages that will be affected are Karanggneng, Roban, Ujung Negoro, Wonokerso and Ponowareng. In September 2014 the people of these villages collaborated with Taring Padi, Greenpeace Indonesia and environmental youth group Batanglyon to campaign against the Batang Coal Power Plant. This is a film documenting that collaboration. It can also be seen on YouTube.
In 2009 Taring Padi produced a series of woodcut posters for the national Indonesian elections to promote debate, question and advocate on election related issues. These posters were distributed and pasted on walls in towns all over Indonesia through Taring Padi's networks. This is the collection of these posters and documentation of the printing process and display.
A link to a blog about these posters can be found at Working Indonesia Blog.
Students from the Stamp School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan head to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to work with traditional and contemporary Javanese artists, including Taring Padi. The trip is led by Stamps School lecturers Charlie Michaels and Emilia Javanica-White.
Taring Padi is excited about this collaboration. Stay tuned for updates. You can also keep up to date with the Stamping Yogyakarta blog .