Until Time is Old

source: mellajaarsma

I am interested in the question: what does it mean to be human? It is impossible to have an objective or neutral view towards other people.

This work starts from the idea that Indonesia is probably the country with the most extreme spectrum of sartorial coverings or clothing in the world. In the western- most provinces of Indonesia, bodies must be totally covered and then in Papua, the eastern-most province, most tribal people still walk around almost naked.

The people of the western-most province of Indonesia, Banda Aceh must live according Sharia Law. Women must wear a jilbab or headscarf. In 2010 a canon was accepted to disallow women to wear a skinny jeans or any other tight, revealing trousers and male punk rockers were made to shave their mohawks.

In Papua on the other hand, there are several different dress codes according to tribe and (often remote) location. In 2007 I travelled through the Balim Valley and in several villages I still saw women with naked breasts and men wearing penis sheaths.

How do we position ourselves and what do we think about space? What is private space, public space and common space? How do we inhabit these spaces? What kind of spaces do we need? What do we think about others occupying this space? In the globalized world, we live in places where the notion of a neutral space doesn’t exist anymore. Almost all spaces are designed, ruled, politicized, or commercialized.

The Indonesian government refuses to rule with a clear hand to protect social space and the freedom to create cultural identities. This leads to social space being occupied on one hand by commercialization – such as urban centers of Java being polluted by an overdose of advertising material while on the other hand, allowing the development of dominant ideologies such as Sharia Law in Aceh or the jihad training camps in the jungles of Sulawesi.

I am investigating materials and their meaning; what do certain materials represent? The materials I use are often part of the concept, message and meaning of my work.

In this particular work I was looking for a ‘neutral’ material, a material not related to a specific identity or culture, and not carrying a symbolic meaning. I found the shells of sea urchins to be found all over the world floating from one place to the other and for me they represent the ‘undesigned’space.

The work invites the audience to step inside in order to experience the ‘space’ of the work physically.
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source: mellajaarsma

Mella Jaarsma

was born in Emmeloord, the Netherlands at 9 October 1960. She grew up in the Netherlands and studied visual art at ‘Minerva’ Academy, Groningen (1978 – 1984), after which she left the Netherlands to study at the IKJ (Art Institute of Jakarta, 1984), Jakarta and at ISI ( Indonesia Institute of the Arts, 1985 – 1986), Yogyakarta and stayed ever since in Indonesia.

Her work has been presented widely in exhibitions in Indonesia as well as in international art events like; Soul Ties – Singapore Art Museum – Singapore, Third Asia Pacific Triennale – Queensland Art Gallery – Brisbane, I eat you eat me – Center of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University – Bangkok, ARS01 – KIASMA – Helsinki, EV+A 2002 – Limerick City Art Gallery – Limerick, Gwangju Biennale – Gwangju, Site & Sight, Sculpture Square – Singapore, Open2002 – 5th International exhibition of Sculptures and Installations – Lido – Venice, Yokohama Triennale, Accidentally Fashion – Museum of Contemporary Art – Taipei, RE-Addressing Identities – Katonah Museum, New York, etc. Her work is in mayor public collections Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, the Singapore Art Museum, etc.

She also got together with Nindityo Adipurnomo The John D. Rockefeller 3 rd Award, New York, USA (2006) and the Academic Art Award #2, Jogya Gallery / Indonesia Institute of The Arts, Yogyakarta (2008).

In 1988, together with her partner Nindityo Adipurnomo she founded the Cemeti Gallery in Yogyakarta , which since 1999 has changed into Cemeti Art House, organizing exhibitions, projects and residencies. Since 1995 she also has been active as a board member at the Cemeti Art Foundation – Yogyakarta , currently changed into the Indonesia Visual Art Archive –IVAA. She gives workshops and lectures in Indonesia as well as abroad; at Duta Wacana University-Yogyakarta, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum – Fukuoka , Griffith University –Gold Coast, The Substation – Singapore , Lasallesia College of the Arts – Singapore , Rietveld Academy – Amsterdam , etc.
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source: arndtberlin

Born 1960 in Emmeloord, The Netherlands
Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Mella Jaarsma grew up in the Netherlands and studied visual art at ‘Minerva’ Academy, Groningen (1978-1984), after which she left the Netherlands to study at the IKJ (Art Institute of Jakarta/1984), Jakarta and at ISI (Indonesia Institute of the Arts/1985-1986), Yogyakarta, Indonesia and stayed ever since in Indonesia.

Her work has been presented widely in exhibitions in Indonesia as well as in international art events like “Suspendes Histories” at the Museum Van Loon, Amsterdam, Netherlands, “Soul Ties” at the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, “Third Asia Pacific Triennale” at Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, “I eat you eat me” at the Center of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, “ARS01″ at the KIASMA, Helsinki, Finland, “EV+A 2002″ at Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick, Ireland, “Gwangju Biennale” in Gwangju, Korea, “Site & Sight” at the Sculpture Square, Singapore, “Open2002″ at the 5th International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations, Lido, Venice, Italy, “Yokohama Triennale” in Kanagawa, Japan, “Accidentally Fashion” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, China and “RE-Addressing Identities” at the Katonah Museum, Katonah, NY, USA.

She also got together with Nindityo Adipurnomo The John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award, New York, USA (2006) and the Academic Art Award #2, Jogya Gallery, Indonesia Institute of The Arts, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2008).
In 1988, together with her partner Nindityo Adipurnomo she founded the Cemeti Gallery in Yogyakarta, which since 1999 has changed into Cemeti Art House, organizing exhibitions, projects and residencies. Since 1995 she also has been active as a board member at the Cemeti Art Foundation (Yogyakarta/Indonesia) currently changed into the Indonesia Visual Art Archive (IVAA).
She gives workshops and lectures in Indonesia as well as abroad, such as at the Duta Wacana University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan, at the Griffith University, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Australia, at the Substation, Singapore, at the Lasallesia College of the Arts, Singapore and at the Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her work is in mayor public collections such as Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia and the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.