(b. 1976, Indonesia), studied in the Interior Design Program at the Modern School of Design and the Photography Department at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Based in Yogyakarta, he works in photography and video. His practice reflects a unique perspective towards culture and history. Minor details destabilise complex questions on identity and the human condition in often playful and humorous ways. Wimo has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in The Netherlands, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Australia. He has participated in the first and second CP Biennale, Jakarta, 2003 and 2005, InterAction XXI Video Festival, Sardinia, Italy, 2008 as well as the Jakarta Biennale, 2009. He has participated in the Landing Soon Residency programme at Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, 2008 and participated in the Wimo Film and Video Festival, 2009, Yogyakarta.

Curator’s note:

Belanda Sudah Dekat! (The Dutch are Near!) by Wimo Bayang purposefully employs humour as an entry point into complicated issues surrounding identity, memory and the colonial era in Indonesia. It highlights that contemporary visual practice can be an entertaining spectacle whilst still being engaged with serious issues.

The title of the series is a subversion of a well-known Indonesian phrase ‘Landa Isih Adoh, Jepang Ora Ketok’  which in English means ‘the Dutch are still far away, the Japanese are no longer visible’.  The saying alludes to the colonisers and invaders of Indonesia’s historical past. By stating that they are far away, the phrase encourages people to relax; there is no need to worry because ‘the enemy’ is long gone. Wimo changes this phrase as a form of destabilisation and reclaiming. Selecting groups of society that were interesting to the artist, he provided them with plastic toy water guns and photographed them within environments familiar to them. Their positions are staged but they are active participants in this project who gaze directly into the camera. They are aware of this particular phrase and entertained by the artist’s attempt to turn it around. The signifiers of their group identity as ladies who enjoy aerobics, transvestites, punks, soccer players or body builders are immediately clear. The inclusion of the absurd plastic guns and group like formations unite them as the regimental counterpart to the perceived enemy, the Dutch. This then nationalises them as Indonesians, further emphasised in the titles of each individual piece such as Angkatan Keduabelas or Angkatan Kelimabelas (12th Corps and 15th Corps). This orchestrated form of play, of shared humour between photographer and subject illustrates how comedy can be used to empower audiences to understand complicated and violent histories.