Indonesian Pavilion at Venice Biennale Reimagines 15th-Century Voyage

At the Venice Biennale, the Indonesian Pavilion showcases "Printing the Unprinted—The Grand Voyage," a fictional work credited to an invented archivist-artist-astronomer-legal theorist named Datu Na Tolu Hamonangan from Harajaon Pusuk Buhit. The tale narrates a 14-year expedition from 1472 to 1486, commencing at Lake Toba and navigating the West Sumatran coast, through Malacca, across the Bay of Bengal, and onward past Gujarat, Hormuz, the Red Sea, and Alexandria, ultimately arriving in Venice and Central Europe. Three vessels embark on this journey: the mothership Siboru Deak Parujar, named after the Batak Goddess of Creation; Naga Padoha, the Cosmic Serpent; and the third ship, Sahala ni Ombak. This project highlights a 15th-century Sumatran kingdom renowned for its advancements in maritime technology, trade, governance, astronomy, and art, exploring themes of cultural exchange and historical imagination.