Art and Youth Culture of the Post-Reformasi Era: Social Engagement, Alternative Expression, and the Public Sphere in Yogyakarta

This thesis examines the development of contemporary art in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in the post-Reformasi era. Focusing on communities who consider themselves "alternative" to the mainstream commercial art world, I examine three aspects of art in Yogyakarta including collective organization, alternative space, and the public sphere. Based on six months of research involving semi-structured interviews and participant observation, carried out from January 2012 – June 2012, I argue that the artists and groups described can be related to ideas of socially engaged art and do-it-yourself (DIY) practice. This examination stems from a discussion of Indonesian modern art history focused on the development of sanggar (artist groups) during the revolutionary era that contributed to the establishment of a collective tradition in Indonesia that again manifested itself in the work of Reformasi era groups, Apotik Komik and Taring Padi. Today, in the post-Reformasi era, the individuals and groups discussed legitimate their work through the support of an increasingly wide network throughout Indonesia and abroad. It is through the support of this peer-to-peer network that these artists are able to imagine the possibility of art to have an impact on Indonesian society, thus becoming socially engaged artists.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Asian Studies (International Studies)

Grantor dc:publisher

Ohio University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Bruhn, Katherine L.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Collins, Elizabeth

• Art History
• Asian Studies
• socially engaged art
• Indonesia
• alternative art spaces
• street art
• public art
• participation
• collective organization

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1364899327

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:ohiou1364899327