Voice Against Reason is a major group exhibition that includes 24 artists from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It features newly commissioned works, recent projects by leading contemporary artists, as well as contemporary works in dialogue with historical art from the Indonesian modern period.
Participating artists including Bagus Pandega; Nadiah Bamadhaj; Chang En Man; Heman Chong; Griya Seni Hj Kustiyah Edhi Sunarso, Hyphen—, Tom Nicholson with Ary "Jimged" Sendy, Aufa R. Triangga, Nasikin Ahmad; Emiria Soenassa; Galih Johar; Shilpa Gupta; I Ketut Muja; I Wayan Jana; Ika Arista; Jumaadi; Khadim Ali; Meiro Koizumi; Natasha Tontey; Tuan Andrew Nguyen; Mumtaz Khan Chopan, Ali Froghi, and Hassan Ati; Rega Ayundya Putri; S. Sudjojono; Khaled Sabsabi; Kamruzzaman Shadhin; Sikarnt Skoolisariyaporn; Amin Taasha; and The Shadow Factory.
What does it mean to speak up or speak out? Voice Against Reason delves into these questions. It intricately weaves fragile temporalities that link personal narratives, historical contexts, and political themes to geography, all through the perspectives of leading contemporary artists.
Voice Against Reason is more than just an exhibition. It's a project that includes newly commissioned artworks and performances, supplemented by a series of thought-provoking talks, lectures, and public programs. These events, planned to unfold throughout the exhibition period, are designed to deepen the audience's engagement with the art and the themes it explores.
Voice Against Reason is organized by Museum MACAN with co-curatorial support from Putra Hidayatullah and Rizki Lazuardi.
Artist
Born 1985, Jakarta, Indonesia
Lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia
Working primarily through the medium of installation, Bagus Pandega often challenges pre-conditioned relationships between objects and its viewer. In his works, Pandega assembles various electronic systems as ‘modules’ and explores objects such as voice recorders, cassette and record players, lamps and electronic circuit boards— among others— to construct his works. Many of his artworks become activated through the interaction of movement, sound and light.
Pandega received his Bachelor of Arts, majoring in sculpture and his Master of Fine Arts from the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia in 2008 and 2015 respectively. His special solo project Stomata is currently on view at Esplanade Concourse, Singapore (2024-25). Pandega’s selected solo exhibitions include 〇 at ROH, Jakarta, Indonesia (2024); A Pervasive Rhythm at Yamamoto Gendai, Tokyo, Japan (2018); Random Black at ROH Projects, Jakarta, Indonesia (2016); and A Monument That Tells Anything at Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2015). Selected group exhibitions include Bangkok Art Biennale: Nurture Gaia at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand (2024); Frieze Seoul, COEX Convention & Exhibition Center, Seoul, South Korea (2022); WAGIWAGI at documenta fifteen, Hübner areal, Kassel, Germany (2022); Declaring Distance: Bandung — Leiden at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung, Indonesia (2022); AAAAHHH!!! Paris Internationale in Paris, France (2018), all featuring her collaborative work with Kei Imazu; Art Basel Hong Kong with ROH, Hong Kong (2023); The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial at QAGOMA, Brisbane, Australia (2021-22); Tiger Orchid presented at Art Basel OVR: Miami Beach (2020); Condo London at Project Native Informant, London, UK (2020); Ripples: Continuity in Indonesian Contemporary Art at Taipei Dangdai, Taipei, Taiwan (2019); Distorted Alteration at Project Fulfill, Taipei, Taiwan (2018); Amsterdam Light Festival, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (2017); and Clandestine Transgression at Art Basel Hong Kong: Discoveries with ROH Projects, Hong Kong (2015). After winning third place at Bandung Contemporary Art Awards #2, Pandega completed his first residency at Le Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle, France in 2012. A nominee of the 2016 Sovereign Art Prize, Pandega had also collaborated with Adi Purnomo and Irwan Ahmett in presenting Freedome, Indonesia Pavilion at the London Design Biennale: Utopia by Design in 2016.
View ArtistCopyright belongs to The Artist
Text by Museum MACAN
Photography by Museum MACAN
Courtesy of The Artist, Museum MACAN, and ROH