The bodies politic of Southeast Asia are often seen to be corrupt and impenetrable. Especially in communities where poverty is rampant and the wealth gap unnerving, or societies dogged by corrupt politics and unjust governance, artists do protest, as activists and/or through their work. Suharto’s and Marcos’ regimes unwittingly sparked a wave of heavily politicized, often raw but articulate anti-establishment art in the first case, and powerful, angry social realism in the latter.

The complexity of the region in terms of both its political histor(ies), and current geo-politics, and the effects of this on contemporary identity and experience, has prompted artists to excavate and seek fresh and critical readings of such material. The challenge inherent in such work has also since the 80s and 90s led artists to explore alternative approaches and media such as photography, found images, video and installation.