Jumaadi puts Javanese cultural traditions and heritage on display

Gallery curator James Lynch said Jumaadi was one of the most in demand Southeast Asian artists and it had been a privilege to present his work.

'Over the past five years Jumaadi has participated in numerous high-profile exhibitions including a survey exhibition currently on view at the Bundanon Art Museum in NSW and the inaugural exhibition Voice Against Reason at the new Museum MACAN in Jakarta last year,' Mr Lynch said.

'Other exhibitions have included Migration of Flora, Drawings and Painting at the University of Connecticut and Superfluous Things at the Singapore Art Museum in 2022, as well as multiple exhibitions at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

'Despite this, Jumaadi's art works have been rarely seen in Naarm, Melbourne, in significant depth until now.'

The works featured in Deakin's exhibition were developed during the pandemic and have previously been exhibited as part of The National 4 exhibition at the Campbelltown Art Centre in Sydney.

Mr Lynch said the major work Joli Jolan had grown into a 'magnum opus', comprised of over 500 individual paper cuts reflecting on how ideas and things are exchanged, traded and migrate between people, places and beyond.

'It is a testament to the resilience, adaptability and strength of everyday people and their struggles,' Mr Lynch said.

'Jumaadi's artistic practice of painting, papercuts, shadow puppetry, performance and installation is informed by his Indigenous Javanese heritage and in his own way, he continues unique cultural traditions that are not more widely known outside of Indonesia.

'His works also explore the complex colonial legacy of his homeland featuring stories from recent history that are rarely told and understood in Australia.'

Interviews with the artists and curator are available on request.

WHAT: Jumaadi: the unaccounted sea

WHEN: Wednesday 17 April to Friday 14 June 2024

WHERE:Deakin University Art Gallery, Building FA, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC 3125

The Deakin University Art Gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and entry is free.

Image 1 caption:

Jumaadi

Joli-Jolan 2022 (detail)

paper cut-outs

dimensions variable

installation view as part of The National 4, Campbelltown Art Centre, Sydney 2023

© and courtesy of the artist and King Street Gallery on William, Sydney

Photo by Silversalt Photography