Presentation artwork Theo Frids Hutabarat

In collaboration with the KITLV Vereniging and Framer Framed, Atelier KITLV is proud to present Theo Frids Hutabarat’s artwork Anonim in the KITLV meeting room on Friday 16 June.

Theo Frids Marulitua Hutabarat (Bandung) was the winner of the Atelier KITLV-Framer Framed Artist in Residence open call in 2021. He has been the Atelier KITLV-Framer Framed artist in residence for the past year. On 16 June Theo will present his new original artwork Anonim for the KITLV meeting room. 

Anonim

When browsing the web pages of the photographic archive of KITLV, one encounters the flood of unidentified faces from a world that was once called the Dutch East Indies. Open for immediate download and sharing, the digitalised images hold an uneasy quality: so close, yet so far; we think we know (or know how to know) them, but with careful scrutiny, many plot holes still remain to be filled. Who are these people? What are their stories? Why are they here, and how can we do justice to their anonymity?

Anonim is Theo Frids Hutabarat’s residency journey in exploring the various possibilities to engage with suspended questions surrounding the archive. This journey inspired a new painting that epitomizes the peculiar attitude needed to comprehend the anonymous faces in photos from the past. Condensed into one particular colonised subject from Pematang Siantar in North Sumatra, the painting explores the capacity of art for forging new connections with KITLV’s photographic archive.

‘An Open Conversation’ prior to the presentation

Prior to the presentation of Anonim, Theo invites you to join ‘An Open Conversation’, a discussion around archives and local initiatives in Indonesia.

The presence, or absence, of archives from the past, quietly influence our perception of today’s reality. But in complex entity such as Indonesia, the challenges could be unthinkable. Some questions like ‘how archives can be the actively reframe the structures in society’, or ‘how to gain access to the prior knowledge that made certain archives exist in the first place’, or ‘what can be done with archives that bring trauma or unspoken truth with them’, oftentimes require different (and new) approaches that expand beyond the existing possibilities.

This conversation brings initiatives that are working in Indonesia together, each with their own way to engage closely with the archives: Aulia Yeru, Lifepatch, Ryzki Wirwayan, Yosefa Aulia and Zaldy Armansyah.

Join us in this online open conversation, Friday 16 June, 09.30-11.00 AM (CET)/14.30-16.00 PM (WIB) through this link.

Presentation artwork Anonim on location

Come & join the presentation of the artwork Anonim on Friday 16 June, 16.30-18.30 PM (CET), including drinks! Registration: [email protected].

Exhibition Anonim

Our Atelier partner Framer Framed is delighted to present the exhibition Anonim by Theo. Anonim explores different ways of dealing with colonial images and how artistic practices offer new insights towards knowledge production around the archive. The exhibition is open  from 25 June until 16 July 2023. More.