This art month has been made extra exciting by the return of international travels. To celebrate the occasion, we have taken on the colossal task of identifying Asia-based artistic stars worth observing. From emerging to established, these visionaries are enriching our cultural dialogue, one art piece at a time.
ALEXANDER SEBASTIANUS HARTANTO
The work of Alexander Sebastianus Hartanto reflects his belief that ethnographic research is an experiential way of life. He explores the decontextualization of material cultures and their ritual significance. Through his art, he seeks to decolonize the ontologies of art and reclaim Sani, a way of living that involves offering, service, and the pursuit of the unknown. In Sani, remnants and evidence of materials are left behind.
Sebastianus is a skilled weaver, having trained as an apprentice in his grandmother’s hometown in East Java. He was awarded the William Daley Award for Excellence in Art History and Craft in 2017. He is currently working as an ethnographer and developer of textile crafts at Rumah SukkhaCiwa in Java.
One of Sebastianus’s work, “Waktu adalah api yang Ku Bakar” (Time is the fire that I burned), translates stories of hazing, time wasted, and leaving home into a series of woven pieces. Through his poetry and the cremation and weaving process, Sebastianus revisits the materialization of literature in contemporary contexts. Each piece is dyed and stitched to resemble flesh, expressing memoirs and tales in Eastern Indonesian symbols. Sebastianus is currently gearing up for a solo show where he will explore new mediums in his art.