Heri Dono

Kohesi Initiatives is pleased to present Worship to Power, Heri Dono’s (b. 1960, Jakarta, Indonesia) fi rst solo exhibition with the gallery. The solo exhibition presents works by Heri Dono that respond to the critical period of Indonesian democracy while presenting them within a contemporary context as an active attempt to fi ght against forgetting. The exhibition spotlights four installation works, four paintings, and a drawing that dates from 1995 to 2020 that corresponds to the aforementioned theme.

The narrative of Heri Dono’s solo exhibition was built around the two particular works created during the critical years of democracy in the Indonesian New Order regime: “Worship to Power” (10th Biennale of Sydney, 1996) and “Blooming in Arms” (Museum of Modern Art Oxford, 1996). The original work never made it back to Indonesia, thus, the artist reconstructed these works using his old study, archival materials, and the catalogs—thanks to his meticulous archiving impulse. This will be the fi rst time these noteworthy works of art are presented in Indonesia as a record of an era– a time where social commentary and political art are face to face with its worst enemy: an authoritarian government and its violent censorship.

Heri Dono's artistic practice spanned over three decades and was shaped by socio-political events in Indonesia. As an artist, this socio-political turbulence interested him and affected his practice. He observed and transformed it into works of art across mediums—from paintings, wayang, performances, installations, and so on. In this case, he uses the medium of creating his various works as a form of social commentary, his views, and responses to the events that occur around him. Socio-political issues have shaped most artists of the same generation as Heri Dono, but they started to fade as the new generation grew up in a different socio-political context.

The solo exhibition offers a platform for discussion and reflection on Indonesia's past, present, and future, inviting audiences to engage with the complex and multifaceted issues underpinning the country's social, political, and cultural landscape. Worship to Power is a reminder for us to refuse to forget, a reminder of how history can shape us to be better, and value its impact on the future.