a long-term Residency Exchange Program between Indonesia and Italy

This bilateral initiative facilitates the synergy between multidisciplinary artists interested in cross-cultural interactions. It promotes on-site theoretical and practical research of two artists+one curator from Italy in Indonesia (2022) and two artists+one curator from Indonesia in Italy (2023). The program, directed by Elettra Bottazzi and Restu Kusumaningrum, is hosted and supported by the cultural centers: Amaneï and Yayasan Bali Purnati (in collaboration with Losari Foundation).

The program aims to engage the involved participants in diverse environments and traditions, creating exchanges that dialogue and unite different landscapes and cultures. The islands of Java/Bali and Aeolian Islands/Sicily are far apart, but in these volcanic territories, the Frangipani flower blooms abundantly. The artists and their works, which have always traveled the world, are like seeds that flourish even in the most remote places, reminding us that culture, like nature, knows no boundaries.

In 2024, the outcome of both residencies will manifest in a group show, which will gather the artists’ and curators’ research and works. The exhibition will unfold the collected experiences into a plurality of voices and gazes, revealing the curators’ and artists’ ability to match different poetics and backgrounds, questioning “from which point of view we see” since our gaze is never neutral but often cultural.