Background
The Equator Symposium 2022 is vital to mark the shift in the working concept and theme of Biennale Jogja for the next few years. The symposium will facilitate a reflection on the first round of Biennale Jogja Equator series (2011–2021) from which the initial discussion on the second round of the series will be built upon. The subsequent series will commence in 2023. In addition, this symposium may become a bridge that will connect the discourses discussed in the Equator I and the Equator II.
The Equator Symposium is also vital to confronting the mainstream discourses amongst scholars and the discourses generated from activism and creative work in order to create collaborations between the two in the future. The production of knowledge from two different working areas may enrich the perspectives and methods in producing a more varied interpretation.
As a space for ideas and thoughts exchange, the Equator Symposium attempts to maintain an inclusive space so as not to become an ivory tower. By collaborating with various colleges, it is expected that the symposium participants may involve actively in the discussion and offer varied perspectives according to their respective backgrounds.
Theme: Translocality and Transhistoricity
Employing these keywords, the Second Round of Biennale Jogja Equator attempts to continue pursuing the common goal of taking part in the rewriting of world art history and contributing to the art decolonization projects, particularly those focusing on re-questioning the definition and framework of geopolitics. The First Round of Biennale Jogja Equator formulated the idea of new geopolitics and internationalism by clearly referring to a physical region on the map (23° N to 23° S). The idea offers a criticism and a new interpretation of art world map, successfully gaining attention of various parties. By collaborating with India, the Arab Region, Nigeria, Brazil, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, Biennale Jogja successfully gathered hidden historiographies and re-examined the network of Global South internationalism which was shaped by numerous similarities of landscape, climate, culture, spirituality, and the aftermath of colonialism. For the first time ever, the international Biennale made a specialized platform for ideas other than the Western arts and brought together artists from regions with less interconnectedness in the art internationalism all this time.
The idea of Global South and Equator as the stepping stone in the First Round of BJ Equator would be developed into a more diverse spirit, by establishing relationship with countries in other regions having intersecting histories or contexts. Such an endeavor aims to challenge the power relation between the North and the South, the First World and the Third World, Asia/Africa/South America and Europe/the United States of America, etc. In the Second Round, the BJE aspires to build partnerships with other regions of the world, to see how the past embodied the spirit of decolonization and the desire to unveil the ruling pattern of superpowers so that all countries or all cultural contexts have more sovereign positions. We are trying to build the concept of Equator as a collective imagination for art and culture communities in order to create an art scene which is equal for many, respecting the rights of marginalized groups, re-invoking local wisdom and knowledge, as well as bringing back many things that have been invalidated by the dominating groups. We believe that we need to underline the issues related to the politics of location in order to uncover the power relation gap and to conduct an experiment that enables the deconstruction of such a relation, which may take us to the idea or experience of equality.
The ideas of translocality and transhistoricity are employed to give space for other histories sharing the same spirit from any regions outside the Global South. Organizing the First Round of BJE showed us the importance of maintaining local beliefs and wisdom, expertise built upon the philosophy of nature and life, as well as the sovereignty of indigenous society. We can learn various life principles from the Global South communities who are relatively communal and living certain spiritualities that represent their intimacy with nature. With the concept of translocality, the BJE attempts to connect the knowledge in one locality with another, the systems of art and culture based on specific indigenous situations, and the articulation of knowledge which is rooted in the local languages. We dream about bringing together indigenous artists, communities, and scientists from all over the world, building a platform for meeting or knowledge exchange through art and cultural works, by inviting among others the Aboriginal societies, the American Indians, the indigenous peoples in Canada, the artists and art communities of different regions in Nusantara, and many others.
Meanwhile, the idea of transhistoricity refers to the course of history that inspires civil movements such as Biennale Jogja to contribute to the change of power constellation in the art world. The First Round of BJE was inspired by the movement of the Asian-African Conference (AAC), later manifested into the Bandung Spirit. We perceive the moment as Indonesia’s success in initiating a meeting of newly independent countries in the Asian-African regions. The idea went even further by passing down an invaluable legacy of thought, which echoed across Europe and America. After the AAC, the movement grew into the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement. The president of Yugoslavia at that time, Joseph Broz Tito, took part in the European initiative to form an alliance that did not take side with the two superpowers (USA and the Soviet Union). We believe that the timeline of history is a fundamental stepping stone for preserving the spirit of decolonization underlying our endeavor. It also leads us in advancing the past endeavors to shape the possibility of the future.