With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transacti... more With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transaction with various identities and cultural norms from around the globe. As such, geographical indexing is no longer absolute as ideologies and cultures are shared and exchanged – questioning the boundaries of cultural identities shaped by nation state. This occurrence of cultural diversity is gaining reality in response to our modern condition of media dominance. In such circumstances, western media is perceived to be a global hegemonic machine. This paper intends to seek if the local identity of Asian countries is at stake due to the aggression of western media. The investigation is put forth by an argument that media reception of each culture or country is varied. Thus, the western culture that is being swept across the world through media domination may not necessarily be hegemonic as claimed, as it demands localization due to political, cultural or regional constraints in order to incre...
Malaysian Journal of Performing and Visual Arts, Dec 31, 2019
In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-tell... more In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-telling technique, wayang is embedded deeply in the magico-spiritual beliefs and mysticism of the Javanese sphere. During prehistoric times, wayang was used as a tool to narrate both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics in Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region. In its primary form, Wayang Kulit Purwa dates back to the 10 th century in the Southeast Asian region. Over the years, wayang transcended its primary form to transform into more creative and expressive forms such as oral literature, bas reliefs, dance dramas, stage performances, fine arts and visual paintings-as such the essence of wayang persists in other fields. Although over centuries, the technicality and performance of wayang kulit have evolved and transformed into a multitude of creative art forms, the essence of wayang has continued its presence in modern features and contemporary context based on the persistence of symbolism and its mysticism that could be traced and highlighted in these works. This article examines the works of modern Indonesian artists Nasirun and Heri Dono by discussing the essence of wayang, through its symbolism and mysticism in particular, as this paper will argue, present in their works.
Malaysian Journal of Performing and Visual Arts , 2019
In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-tell... more In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-telling technique, wayang is embedded deeply in the magico-spiritual beliefs and mysticism of the Javanese sphere. During prehistoric times, wayang was used as a tool to narrate both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics in Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region. In its primary form, Wayang Kulit Purwa dates back to the 10 th century in the Southeast Asian region. Over the years, wayang transcended its primary form to transform into more creative and expressive forms such as oral literature, bas reliefs, dance dramas, stage performances, fine arts and visual paintings-as such the essence of wayang persists in other fields. Although over centuries, the technicality and performance of wayang kulit have evolved and transformed into a multitude of creative art forms, the essence of wayang has continued its presence in modern features and contemporary context based on the persistence of symbolism and its mysticism that could be traced and highlighted in these works. This article examines the works of modern Indonesian artists Nasirun and Heri Dono by discussing the essence of wayang, through its symbolism and mysticism in particular, as this paper will argue, present in their works.
With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transacti... more With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transaction with various identities and cultural norms from around the globe. As such, geographical indexing is no longer absolute as ideologies and cultures are shared and exchanged – questioning the boundaries of cultural identities shaped by nation state. This occurrence of cultural diversity is gaining reality in response to our modern condition of media dominance. In such circumstances, western media is perceived to be a global hegemonic machine. This paper intends to seek if the local identity of Asian countries is at stake due to the aggression of western media. The investigation is put forth by an argument that media reception of each culture or country is varied. Thus, the western culture that is being swept across the world through media domination may not necessarily be hegemonic as claimed, as it demands localization due to political, cultural or regional constraints in order to increase the receptivity of that particular medium. Finally the paper attempts to illustrate that a fluid and fluctuating identities are being formed beneath this growing transaction of local identities and Western media. These new forms of identities serve as the necessary dissonance for the prevention of any cultural hegemony (be it local or global) in our current-modern conditions.
Curated by Izat Arif and Rizal Sufar, Hidup Terlampau Selesa (Life is Too Comfortable) featured t... more Curated by Izat Arif and Rizal Sufar, Hidup Terlampau Selesa (Life is Too Comfortable) featured two young local artists: Engku Iman and Akmal Borhan. This exhibition was launched on 17th May 2014 @ Kedai_CO, a regular shop lot turned into a casual gallery at SS6, Kelana Jaya. Albeit this show was anchored on the theme of gender and sexuality, it was very much different from Errortica Exhibition which was held on December 2012 @ Publika. If Errortica Exhibition was a projection on the positive aspects of sexuality and sexual experiences – what it should be or what it could be, then some artworks from Hidup Terlampau Selesa took a wicked twist of what it should not be or what it must not be. If Errortica Exhibition gave the idea of pretty, colourful and almost fantasy like experience, then Hidup Terlampau Selesa was all the opposite.
With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transacti... more With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transaction with various identities and cultural norms from around the globe. As such, geographical indexing is no longer absolute as ideologies and cultures are shared and exchanged – questioning the boundaries of cultural identities shaped by nation state. This occurrence of cultural diversity is gaining reality in response to our modern condition of media dominance. In such circumstances, western media is perceived to be a global hegemonic machine. This paper intends to seek if the local identity of Asian countries is at stake due to the aggression of western media. The investigation is put forth by an argument that media reception of each culture or country is varied. Thus, the western culture that is being swept across the world through media domination may not necessarily be hegemonic as claimed, as it demands localization due to political, cultural or regional constraints in order to incre...
Malaysian Journal of Performing and Visual Arts, Dec 31, 2019
In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-tell... more In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-telling technique, wayang is embedded deeply in the magico-spiritual beliefs and mysticism of the Javanese sphere. During prehistoric times, wayang was used as a tool to narrate both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics in Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region. In its primary form, Wayang Kulit Purwa dates back to the 10 th century in the Southeast Asian region. Over the years, wayang transcended its primary form to transform into more creative and expressive forms such as oral literature, bas reliefs, dance dramas, stage performances, fine arts and visual paintings-as such the essence of wayang persists in other fields. Although over centuries, the technicality and performance of wayang kulit have evolved and transformed into a multitude of creative art forms, the essence of wayang has continued its presence in modern features and contemporary context based on the persistence of symbolism and its mysticism that could be traced and highlighted in these works. This article examines the works of modern Indonesian artists Nasirun and Heri Dono by discussing the essence of wayang, through its symbolism and mysticism in particular, as this paper will argue, present in their works.
Malaysian Journal of Performing and Visual Arts , 2019
In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-tell... more In Indonesia, Java specifically, wayang holds a significant cultural role. More than a story-telling technique, wayang is embedded deeply in the magico-spiritual beliefs and mysticism of the Javanese sphere. During prehistoric times, wayang was used as a tool to narrate both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics in Indonesia as well as the Southeast Asian region. In its primary form, Wayang Kulit Purwa dates back to the 10 th century in the Southeast Asian region. Over the years, wayang transcended its primary form to transform into more creative and expressive forms such as oral literature, bas reliefs, dance dramas, stage performances, fine arts and visual paintings-as such the essence of wayang persists in other fields. Although over centuries, the technicality and performance of wayang kulit have evolved and transformed into a multitude of creative art forms, the essence of wayang has continued its presence in modern features and contemporary context based on the persistence of symbolism and its mysticism that could be traced and highlighted in these works. This article examines the works of modern Indonesian artists Nasirun and Heri Dono by discussing the essence of wayang, through its symbolism and mysticism in particular, as this paper will argue, present in their works.
With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transacti... more With the advancement of Telecommunication technology, media users today are in constant transaction with various identities and cultural norms from around the globe. As such, geographical indexing is no longer absolute as ideologies and cultures are shared and exchanged – questioning the boundaries of cultural identities shaped by nation state. This occurrence of cultural diversity is gaining reality in response to our modern condition of media dominance. In such circumstances, western media is perceived to be a global hegemonic machine. This paper intends to seek if the local identity of Asian countries is at stake due to the aggression of western media. The investigation is put forth by an argument that media reception of each culture or country is varied. Thus, the western culture that is being swept across the world through media domination may not necessarily be hegemonic as claimed, as it demands localization due to political, cultural or regional constraints in order to increase the receptivity of that particular medium. Finally the paper attempts to illustrate that a fluid and fluctuating identities are being formed beneath this growing transaction of local identities and Western media. These new forms of identities serve as the necessary dissonance for the prevention of any cultural hegemony (be it local or global) in our current-modern conditions.
Curated by Izat Arif and Rizal Sufar, Hidup Terlampau Selesa (Life is Too Comfortable) featured t... more Curated by Izat Arif and Rizal Sufar, Hidup Terlampau Selesa (Life is Too Comfortable) featured two young local artists: Engku Iman and Akmal Borhan. This exhibition was launched on 17th May 2014 @ Kedai_CO, a regular shop lot turned into a casual gallery at SS6, Kelana Jaya. Albeit this show was anchored on the theme of gender and sexuality, it was very much different from Errortica Exhibition which was held on December 2012 @ Publika. If Errortica Exhibition was a projection on the positive aspects of sexuality and sexual experiences – what it should be or what it could be, then some artworks from Hidup Terlampau Selesa took a wicked twist of what it should not be or what it must not be. If Errortica Exhibition gave the idea of pretty, colourful and almost fantasy like experience, then Hidup Terlampau Selesa was all the opposite.
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