Agus Suwage's 'The Theater of Me' survey at Museum MACAN explores Indonesian politics through self-portraiture

The Museum MACAN in Jakarta is currently hosting the exhibition 'Agus Suwage: The Theater of Me,' which runs until 15 October. This showcase highlights 35 years of the work of Agus Suwage, an Indonesian artist hailing from Yogyakarta and a graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology. Since the mid-1990s, Suwage has utilized self-portraits for both self-reflection and commentary on society. His artwork delves into Indonesia's political landscape, particularly the Suharto era and modern social media. Key works include 'Penentang Arus' (1987), 'Circus of Democracy I' (1997), and 'Potret Diri dan Panggung Sandiwara' (2019), employing humor and irony to tackle themes of mortality and social justice while referencing Western figures.