Singing Birds, Moving Mountains

The TOKAS Project began in 2018 as a program designed to foster international exchange and inspire reflection on diverse themes such as art and society from multicultural perspectives.

Now in its seventh iteration, the project welcomes Ayos Purwoaji, a participant in TOKAS’s Curator Residency Program in 2023, as co-curator for an exhibition that features artists from Indonesia and Japan. Purwoaji has worked on a number of curatorial projects aimed at archiving local traditions and memories, and during his residency, he surveyed monuments across Japan, exploring their relationship to rapid urban development in Tokyo during the 1970s and 1980s.

The current exhibition, titled Singing Birds, Moving Mountains, features works from Prewangan Studio, a studio based in Tuban on the north coast of East Java, Indonesia; Rangas Wengi, an art collective based in Pati in Central Java; and Obana Kenichi, a prolific artist based in Akita, Japan.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, Japan has seen a major population influx to Tokyo and vicinity, further intensifying the concentration of the population in the capital region. Meanwhile, Indonesia plans to gradually relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, approximately 2,000 kilometers away in East Kalimantan province, starting in 2024 due to issues such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and land subsidence. While cities have historically been hubs of power and magnets for people and goods, the decline of this pattern is now an undeniable global phenomenon.

This exhibition showcases artists who continue to pursue creative endeavors in rural locations, motivated by structural changes in the societies of both Indonesia and Japan. The exhibition probes the potential of outlying regions through the lens of stories told by works that tie these two countries together via exploration of the themes of movement and the relationship between local traditions and modern society.

Obana Kenichi 
Based in Akita, Japan. Obana presents a new installation titled Gazing Into the Distance / The Tale of Jagatara Oharu. It is inspired by the story of Jagatara Oharu, which unfolded in Nagasaki during the Edo period (1603–1868). Comprising drawings and sculptures, the installation focuses on Oharu’s escape from feudal constraints upon arrival in Jakarta, and questions the structures and values of Japanese society.

Prewangan Studio
Based in Tuban in East Java, Indonesia. In this exhibition they present the installation Pesugihan Dhedhet Kemukus (The Ritual of Steaming Shadow), inspired by coal transport ships off the Tuban coast and the “pursuit of wealth that comes at a black cost,” analogous to the sea rituals. The work reimagines traditional offering platforms, and employs sculpture combined with video and sound to explore contemporary industrial activity through the lens of region’s traditional rituals.

Rangas Wengi
Based in Sukolilo, a rural area of Pati in Central Java, Indonesia. The collective presents Ilmu Kebal Jolosutro (The Protection Code of Jolosutro), an installation featuring bases and columns inspired by Sukolilo society and traditional Japanese architecture. Shawls hanging in all directions feature prints that incorporate the orderly essence of the local dance performance known as Tayub, while also sounding an alarm about the unstable security situation afflicting Sukolilo society today.

Ayos Purwoaji (Co-Curator)
Based in Surabaya, Indonesia. Purwoaji is a curator engaged in interdisciplinary projects spanning history, architecture, and visual arts. He participated in the TOKAS Curator Residency Program in 2023.

Organizer: Tokyo Arts and Space, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture. Support: Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Japan.