A unique art installation, specially made for the Tropenmuseum, by the in Asia renowned artist Jompet Kuswidananto will be exhibited in the Tropenmuseum from 31 October to 22 March. Jompet – known for example from Art Space Louis Vuitton and the Saatchi Gallery London – made his name with fascinating groups of life-size mechanical figures in the form of parades, which come into action like a real orchestra at set times. For the first time he’s bringing together these parades in the Great Hall of the Tropenmuseum, thereby creating a new art installation. The public are at the centre and are part of a magnificent, theatrical Grand Parade.
A square in the Tropenmuseum’s Great Hall
Dozens of human figures with drums and weapons, motorbikes and horses meet each other in the middle of the big square in the Tropenmuseum’s Great Hall. This meeting produces a huge spectacle of light, sound and movement: drums begin to beat, hands start clapping and from the loudspeakers the sound of the revelry of a parade or the tumult of a demonstration can be heard. This art installation fits into the Great Hall of the Tropenmuseum like no other – the hall was designed as a square where the public would feel surrounded by the many cultures enriching the world. The ideal place for a monumental work by an artist who takes his inspiration from the world. Jompet is such an artist. In his work he shows a constantly changing world and the way in which the identity of individuals and groups change with it.
Up and coming in Europe
Artist and theatre maker Jompet Kuswidananto (born in 1976 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia) is a trendsetting innovator in Asia and is now up and coming in Europe. His work has been shown in the Venice and Moscow Biennales, Art Space Louis Vuitton and the Saatchi Gallery London. In 2013 he won the Prins Claus Award with his theatre group Teater Garasi.
