Indonesian multidisciplinary artist Yosep Arizal undertook a 1-month residency at Rimbun Dahan in August-September 2023, exploring the similarities and differences between Malaysia and Indonesia.
About the Artist
Yosep Arizal graduated from Indonesian Institute of The Art in 2016. His practice mostly discusses
genders, history, and their friction with religion, tradition, and cultural identities. Yosep concretizes
his aesthetic ideas in various media, such as drawing, painting, installation, video, and performance. His
work has been shown in both local and international venues, such as PBSR Swaranusa in Museum and Cultural
Centre Jayapura Papua (2014), Jogja Biennale in Jogja National Museum (2019), UOB Painting of The
Year in National Museum Jakarta (2019), “Clothing As A State of Power” in Cemeti Institute of The Arts and
Society Yogyakarta (2020), Babad Lembana #2 in Sumenep Madura (2022), “Queer-Muslim In
Conversation” at the University of Melbourne (2022), ArtJog Motif Lamaran in Jogja National Museum
(2023).
In 2021 Yosep was selected as one of grantees of the Arts Innovation & Professional Development
Program for Performing Arts Residency, Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja, Yogyakarta. In 2022,
he was awarded a Seed Award by the Prince Clause Fund, Amsterdam, and was one of the three best
young artists who received ArtJog 2023 Young Artist Awards.
About the Residency
“The project I am working on in Rimbun Dahan is about my position as an Indonesian, tourist, and artist
who is having a chance to work for about four weeks in Malaysia. As an Indonesian, I found there are so
many Indonesia-related things here that make me feel “comfortable” while seeing them, and assure
myself that I am not far away from home. As a tourist, I realize that even though there are some similarities
between Malaysia and Indonesia but we still have a lot of differences that make me feel alienated,
surprised, amazed, and even intrigued by so many things in Malaysia. My position as an artist might
trick me to a “stealer” state, who can collect particular things I find here as creative and artistic
inspiration for my art practice ,and take them away to Indonesia. Then I came up with the idea of
exchanging: before I take some things away I should give and leave something to this place that I
brought from Indonesia.”
All photos on this page by Charuwan Noprumpha.