Taring Padi's Post-Documenta Rise: Activist Art Finds Global Favor
Founded in 1998, the Indonesian collective Taring Padi is attracting global interest following their involvement in Documenta 15. Their art, which emphasizes the struggles of agrarian and working-class communities, stands in stark contrast to the vagueness often found in contemporary art. Notable for their large protest banners, Taring Padi has utilized these pieces in galleries and demonstrations, including a protest at the Venice Biennale against the Israeli Pavilion. Currently, their exhibition 'Rakyat Pasti Menang' is on display at Ibraaz in London, featuring works from their early days. Collaborating with groups like Brazil's landless workers movement and Australia's ProppaNOW, Taring Padi is also part of collections at institutions such as Tate Modern, while maintaining a critical view of museums as platforms for activism amid Indonesia's political decline under President Prabowo Subianto.
Key facts
- Taring Padi was accused of anti-Semitism at Documenta 15 in 2022, leading to removal of artwork.
- The collective has exhibited in Thailand, Italy, Australia, Brazil, the UK, and the Netherlands in recent years.
- Exhibition 'Rakyat Pasti Menang' at Ibraaz, London, runs through 22 November.
- Taring Padi was founded in 1998 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
- The collective created banners for a protest against the Israeli Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
- Taring Padi's work is described as 'social movement culture' by writers Dara Greenwald and Josh MacPhee.
- The collective has 19 members and shares its methods through workshops.
- In 2018, Taring Padi had a retrospective at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta.
- Taring Padi is collected by Tate Modern.
- Indonesia raised nonsubsidised fuel prices by roughly 32% in June, making old protest images relevant again.
- Taring Padi plans to distribute stickers at 'Jogja Last Friday Ride' cycling event in Yogyakarta.
Entities
Artists
- Bayu Widodo
- Ladija Triana
- Raung 'Bebe' Singasari
- Alexander Supartono
- Mohamad 'Ucup' Yusuf
- Dara Greenwald
- Josh MacPhee
- Gregory Sholette
- Ben Davis
- Megawati Soekarnoputri
- Prabowo Subianto
- Suharto
- Taring Padi
- Ade Darmawan
- Hestu
- Giulia Mariachiara Galiano
Institutions
- Documenta 15
- Ibraaz
- Venice Biennale
- Israeli Pavilion
- SALE Docks
- ArtReview
- Artnet
- Tate Modern
- Indonesian Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta
- Casa do Povo
- Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
- Framer Framed
- ProppaNOW
- Lapindo Brantas
- Sale Docks
- Laboratorio Occupato Morion
- documenta 15
- Tricontinental
- Institute of Radical Imagination
- Art Not Genocide Alliance
- ruangrupa
- Artribune
Locations
- Yogyakarta
- Indonesia
- London
- United Kingdom
- Venice
- Italy
- Thailand
- Australia
- Brazil
- Netherlands
- Jakarta
- Siring Barat
- East Java
- Kassel
- Germany
- South Yorkshire
- England
- Central Java
- Pati
- Sukolilo
- Misik village
- Sonokeling
- San Paolo
- Palestine
- Europe