CURRENT MISSION

Working together for global good society

ABOUT ME

Brief Biography
Iwan Wijono

Wijono was born in a few decades ago, under the Soeharto regime in the
city of Solo, Central Java, in the strong moslem Javanese family,
where the influence of the feudal culture is still strong. Also where
the global culture situation (from the west) is dominated and becomes
the standard of existence for the middle class to the top. While
studying international law (graduated from Indonesian Islamic
University) and painting (Indonesian Institute Of Art) in Jogjakarta
(Indonesia), Wijono became active in the pro-democracy movement
against the Soeharto regime, who was known to be KKN (Collusion,
corruption and nepotism) and to guard against the continuation of the
power of the Soeharto government who were known to be feudalistic,
capitalistic and militaristic. And morover the young Indonesians who
had a new ideology that is 3M : Microsoft, Mc Donalds, MTV.

In the 1990’s he became known as a pro-democracy street performer with
(or without) political demonstration. Besides a political awareness,
Wijono gained an aesthetic understanding that performance art was a
milieu that could be undertaken anywhere and was not restricted by
exhibition space, public or even the time of the activity. His early
performance art interventions evolved to include arts events both
locally and internationally throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

“PUBLIC! I think public is dead! The public is dependant on the market
that is controlled by multinational corporations, IMF, World Bank, and
includes United Nations, Stock Exchange, TVs, political issues/rumors,
etc! Public have no power anymore, all controlled by market and
weapon, in other way- controlled by fear and consume!” Iwan Wijono

Iwan Wijono has participated in several important art events,
including: LIVE - Performance Art Biennale (Vancouver, ’07), In The
Context Of Art-The Differences (Warsaw, ‘06), TIPALive - Taiwan
International Performance Art Festival (Taipei, ’05), FOI - Future Of
Imagination (Singapore ’03), AIM Artist Investigation Monuments
(Singapore ’00 & ’02), ASIATOPIA Performance Art Festival (Bangkok –
Chiangmai ’99,’02,’05,07), NIPAF - Nippon International Performance
Art Festival (City Tour Japan ’99, ’04), Havana Biennale (Cuba, ’01),
Currency Festival (Manhattan, New York ’05), 7a*11d International
Performance Art Festival (Toronto ’02), RIAP – Recountre Internacional
Arte de Performance (Quebec City, ’04), Novena Muestra Internacional
de Performance (Mexico City, ’00).

Wijono actived in various seminar and political art workshop that been
held in various campuses and institutions - galleries internationally,
beside various exhibition in Indonesia and overseas, including:
Paricutin (Action in Site) Exhibition, at Gallery of Klnstlerhaus
Hamburg - Bergedorf, Germany (’02), May ’08 on photo performance and
video work in exhibition - Soedjojono & Indonesian Social Realism, in
NUS Museum, Singapore. Participated in local group exhibition also,
included The Highlights: from Medium through Transmedia –The Indonesia
Institute of Art Exhibition.

Once solo exhibition in ’05 Kedai Kebun Forum, Jogjakarta, photo
performance, drawing and painting “Route to Babilon: After the Dark
rising Sex, Drug, & Rock N Roll. The 2nd solo exhibition “Revolution
Preparation” been held in December 2008 at JNM Jogja National Museum.
The3rd solo exhibition “Farmer Series”, September 2009 – Tembi
Contemporary, Jogjakarta. Lately have tour art program in France &
Europe (working together with Indonesian artist Miko Malioboro &
Association Matasia): IMPRESSIONS Galerie (Paris), performance -
History Of Blood in De Fabriek art space (Eindhoven), L’Antidote –
Café Associatif & espace culturel (Bordeaux), in Brno (Chezh
Republic), & Romania.

In 12 March – 11 April, been held “Chaotic Victory” performance &
painting exhibition, with the Thailand artist, Vasan Sitthiket, in
Whitespace gallery, Bangkok, Thailand.

Wijono, president of the contemporary art organization in Jogjakarta,
Performance Klub, which is organized monthly action art event as WED
ACTION in ’03 – ’05, AMBULANCE ART FESTIVAL ’05, annual action art
activism in public communities as PERFURBANCE – Performance Art Urban
Festival, beside another public action art event in down town as CHAOS
DAB! Widjono is member of TAV The Artists Village (Singapore), member
international performance art movement New World Disorder
International, member redaction board INTER arte actuel magazine,
Quebec City (Canada), registered as spiritual healer in the World
Pranic Healing Foundation. . ARTISTS A-Z

Based on artist’s experienced:
What Art Can Do Today & Art In Public Space

Before I learnt art, basicly I studied International Law in Indonesian
Islamic University, graduated in 1998, in second year I started to
study Painting in Indonesian Art Institute, beside hang out with the
various city street communities and rural communities are also good
everyday life (classes) learnings, and active in various cultural and
political movements local and global communities since I was student,
are the other media for me to propose my political agenda (as the
final destination are various independence communities).

Finally I choosed to be an normal people and working as contemporary
art worker, than to be a lawyer, polititions, military, police, etc.
To be an contemporary art worker, to have various art medium such as
our own body, our time, our day, our canvas, our video, our film, our
voice, our book,our cloths, our voice and sound. Actually it is
particular topic, how to use the time as an art medium, the body as an
art medium, etc.

I am a student in 90’s, which is the time when modern theory and
modern system was starting need to make it correct, how the pop
culture and commercial system only selling the image but not the
substantion. How the religions, human rights, democracy, are only the
tools of political power to be more obvioused. In that time so many
new theory were urged, including post modernism-post structural
(started in 60’s & renew context in 90’s), and even contemporary art.

Myself was a student, conscioused that the art work not only limited
on canvas etc., on art space, on stage. The cultures not only
monopolized by TVs, radios, magazines. Political powers are not only
in religions, congress / parliaments, militaries-polices, & the court.
With those new consciousnesses, influenced a lots in our art practice.

To respons new political problems, we can go directly to the street as
an street art action. Can create video work or short film with simply
cameras and simply editing, than publish to the public. To work
together with the real people in society, to create art work together,
share ideas, concept, and technique.

I’m working with various communities, one of them is organization
Performance Klub, which is based on action art, to use art alots in
social practice. One of our annual program is the event Perfurbance –
Performance Art Urban Festival, it is international action art
festival, organized in outdoor public spaces, live with communities,
working with communities, and publish the book as final outfit.

Before festival, we did research, create a theme of the festival,
invited artists who interested with this kind of social context in
particular society. In the festival we did the programs: traditional
art show (which is almost gone mostly), contemporary art action based
on the theme, workshop and seminar based on the local problems such as
environment problems, food, farm, water, animal, education, health,
etc. The published book finally as the guidance to prolong the
practice the workshop and seminar.

As personal artist, lately I worked with paysants, listen their
problem, create art ideas together, create paintings and video, to
sell the paintings to earn money. Use the money for publish the
cultural book about the farmer & social project with little number of
them. Year by year the number of farmer getting less and less, healthy
food production really big problems today. Beside the forest and the
land being less and less compare with the houses, buildings, and new
cities.

email: wijonoster@yahoo.com web: www.iwan-wijono.com
organization's web: www.performanceklub.com
www.hutanpangan.org
Cel. +6281903717175

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

From friend in Bordeaux, which was help me to have a couch in Paris, than I participate to CS.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had a couch many days in Paris in January 2010.

Interests

• animals
• arts
• culture
• books
• performing arts
• street art
• contemporary art
• festivals
• education
• environment
• human rights
• dining
• painting
• drawing
• outdoor activities
• muslim
• communications
• teaching
• emergency services
• history
• law
• religion