SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Spring 2019 Socio-Political Criticism in Contemporary Indonesian Art Isabel Betsill SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Art and Design Commons, Art Practice Commons, Asian Studies Commons, Contemporary Art Commons, Graphic Communications Commons, Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Betsill, Isabel, "Socio-Political Criticism in Contemporary Indonesian Art" (2019). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3167. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3167 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SOCIO-POLITICAL CRITICISM IN CONTEMPORARY INDONESIAN ART Isabel Betsill Project Advisor: Dr. Sartini, UGM Sit Study Abroad Indonesia: Arts, Religion and Social Change Spring 2019 1 CONTEMPORARY INDONESIAN ART ABOUT THE COVER ART Agung Kurniawan. Very, Very Happy Victims. Painting, 1996 Image from the collection of National Heritage Board, Singapore Agung Kurniawan is a contemporary artist who has worked with everything from drawing and comics, to sculpture to performance art. Most critics would classify Kurniawan as an artist-activist as his art pieces frequently engages with issues such as political corruption and violence. The piece Very, Very happy victims is about how people in a fascist state are victims, but do not necessarily realize it because they are also happy.