Taring Padi
Encyclopedia
Taring Padi is a community of underground
artists in Bantul
, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
. They formed in 1998 during the general upheaval following the fall of Suharto.
Taring Padi are well known for the production of cartoonlike posters embedded with political and social justice messages, using the cukil (woodcut
) technique onto paper
or canvas
. In addition to their print work, they also create kinetic sculptures, street theater performances, punk rock
and techno music.
After the fall of Suharto, Taring Padi occupied an abandoned art school
, which they use as a residence and workspace for creating art, music and theater. Despite being well known among international art collectors and underground communities—such as the Just Seeds Artists Cooperative.
Works by Taring Padi have been shown in many formal and non-formal settings including Indonesia's National Gallery in Jakarta
and at the 31st Century Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand
. Taring Padi was also included in the group show Sisa: re-use, collaborations and cultural activism from Indonesia at the University of Technology, Sydney
gallery.
In 2004 a film about Taring Padi by filmmakers Jamie Nicolai and Charlie Hillsmith, "Indonesian Arts, Activism and Rock 'n' Roll" was screened on SBS . A short cut of this film can be seen at YouTube
. Filmmaker Rohan Langford has made a brief profile of Taring Padi artist Aris Prabawa, who in 2010 held solo shows at the Asia Australia Arts Centre (4A) and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia.
In May 2010 Taring Padi and networks, together with the victims of Siring Village and surrounds, collaborated to make a commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the disaster. They held etching, screenprinting, painting and singing workshops, culminating with a carnival and a people's stage on the edge of the dam containing the mud. A film documenting this project can be seen and downloaded at engagemedia.org.
Taring Padi will be launching a book in Indonesian and English covering 10 years of the collective's work, including art work and academic articles. The book will be launched in a number of cities in Indonesia from mid to late 2011.
Underground art
Underground art, as with underground music and underground film, is a term that seeks to describe art forms that are aloof to the mainstream art world, are illegal, taboo, unconventional, rebellious or revolutionary...
artists in Bantul
Bantul
Bantul is a town and the capital of Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia.-2006 Earthquake:On 27 May 2006 an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck near Java's southern coast causing widespread damage. Bantul Regency was the region most affected by the disaster...
, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. They formed in 1998 during the general upheaval following the fall of Suharto.
Taring Padi are well known for the production of cartoonlike posters embedded with political and social justice messages, using the cukil (woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
) technique onto paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
or canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
. In addition to their print work, they also create kinetic sculptures, street theater performances, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and techno music.
After the fall of Suharto, Taring Padi occupied an abandoned art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
, which they use as a residence and workspace for creating art, music and theater. Despite being well known among international art collectors and underground communities—such as the Just Seeds Artists Cooperative.
Works by Taring Padi have been shown in many formal and non-formal settings including Indonesia's National Gallery in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
and at the 31st Century Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Taring Padi was also included in the group show Sisa: re-use, collaborations and cultural activism from Indonesia at the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
gallery.
In 2004 a film about Taring Padi by filmmakers Jamie Nicolai and Charlie Hillsmith, "Indonesian Arts, Activism and Rock 'n' Roll" was screened on SBS . A short cut of this film can be seen at YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Filmmaker Rohan Langford has made a brief profile of Taring Padi artist Aris Prabawa, who in 2010 held solo shows at the Asia Australia Arts Centre (4A) and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia.
In May 2010 Taring Padi and networks, together with the victims of Siring Village and surrounds, collaborated to make a commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the disaster. They held etching, screenprinting, painting and singing workshops, culminating with a carnival and a people's stage on the edge of the dam containing the mud. A film documenting this project can be seen and downloaded at engagemedia.org.
Taring Padi will be launching a book in Indonesian and English covering 10 years of the collective's work, including art work and academic articles. The book will be launched in a number of cities in Indonesia from mid to late 2011.