Image from ‘Rebel Riders’ by Muhammad Fadli
SONGS FROM THE NUSANTARA
Curated by VIGNES BALASINGAM
KHIEV KANEL (CAMBODIA) // ARKO DATTO (INDIA) // AGAN HARAHAP (INDONESIA) // SHYUE WOON (SINGAPORE) // SENTHIL KUMARAN (INDIA) // MINZAYAR OO (MYANMAR) // VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA (PHILIPPINES), // MUHAMMAD FADLI (INDONESIA)
The Nusantara is a geographical state of being. The word Nusantara comes from two words, Nusa, meaning the seas and tara, meaning what lies in between. The Nusantara in this sense refers to the cultural identities of the lands which are now Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, The Philippines and Thailand, through its connection with the seas that bind them. The historical and spiritual identity of the archipelago and its subcontinent pair is echoed through the idea of the Nusantara – the power of the fluid and the intangible and its ability to influence and weave together the tangible and objective.
The curation is a contemporary poem about our collective identities in the 21st century. Stories of social rebirth, war and the micro-movements of our societies which may have larger implications on ourselves – the children of seafarers. This is my own journey in seeking out the faint echoes of a past that still thrives between the cracks of our collective geographical history.
Screening at The Walls
4 May 2019
Photos: Chris Bennie
This project took place on Yugembah country.
We acknowledge and pay respect to the land and the traditional families of the Yugambeh region of South East Queensland and their Elders past present and emerging. The Yugambeh region includes families that identify as Kombumerri, Mununjali, Wangerriburra and others.
