Cultural Amnesia, Tisna Sanjaya's inaugural exhibition in Sydney presents a critical narrative of political and environmental conditions through diverse media such as painting, etching and installation.
This interview introduces the figure of Kang Tisna Sanjaya, an artist and academic at ITB, who through an exhibition titled Cultural Amnesia in Sydney voiced sharp criticism of Indonesia's sociopolitical conditions.
The title of the exhibition is a reflection on society's tendency to forget the dark track record of systemic corruption and genocide of the New Order era that now seems to be obscured by the return of past figures to the top of power.
Through his exploration of darkly nuanced dramatic works, Kang Tisna seeks to evoke the collective memory of the nation so that it is not easily manipulated by political tactics that often obscure history in favor of the ruling regime.
In addition to its strong political charge, the exhibition also uncovers the deep philosophy behind the use of bitumen materials and residual ash of combustion in his works.
His use of this unique medium is rooted in a painful personal experience when his art installation in Bandung was forcibly destroyed by the authorities a decade ago in favor of a hotel construction project.
For Kang Tisna, the dust from the burning has transformed into a symbol of resistance to environmental destruction and cultural injustice.
For an exhibition in Sydney, Kang Tisna created a new work entitled Art as a Prayer for Change.
Conceiving the concept of art as prayer, Kang Tisna asserts that creative work is a spiritual medium capable of driving global change, advocating for human rights, and opposing all forms of dictatorship in all parts of the world.
