Exhibition: Sumber Alam
Date: 28 August – 16 November, 2025
Location: Kunsthalle Basel
Steinenberg 7
Basel, Switzerland
As part of a partnership between Kunsthalle Basel and Swiss Institute, Pandega presents two distinct, first-of-their-kind exhibitions in August and September 2025, respectively. Each of these shows presents an amazing opportunity for Indonesian art to be seen on the international stage.
The exhibition elaborates Pandega’s field research into environmental upheavals in Indonesia, where the expansion of palm oil plantations and nickel extraction are transforming landscapes and livelihoods. Pandega translates these dynamics into an ecosystem of interacting machines and signals: a plant-controlled erasing machine, a sound installation carved from wood obtained through deforestation and a video game-like excavation simulator exploring how extractive, resource-driven growth reverberates through ecology and everyday life.
Bagus Pandega (b. 1985) is an Indonesian artist working primarily through the medium of installation. Pandega assembles various electronic systems as ‘modules’ and explores objects such as voice recorders, cassette and record players, lamps and electronic circuit boards—among others—to construct his works.
Pandega has exhibited extensively in local and international institutions including at Kunsthalle Basel, Basel; Swiss Institute, New York; ROH, Jakarta; Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta; Bangkok Art Biennale; and The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial.
Founded in 1869 by the Basler Kunstverein, Kunsthalle Basel has been a central institution in the international art and cultural scene since its opening in 1872. As a hub between artists and the public, it has always fostered open dialogue. The neoclassical building on Steinenberg, designed by Johann Jakob Stehlin, is an integral part of the city’s cultural ensemble and remains a place for new artistic perspectives. Here, art is constantly challenged, questioned, and reimagined.
Exhibition: Daya Benda
Date: 30 September, 2025 – 4 January, 2026
Location: Swiss Institute
38 St Marks Pl
New York, United States
As part of a partnership between Kunsthalle Basel and Swiss Institute, Pandega presents two distinct, first-of-their-kind exhibitions in August and September 2025, respectively. Each of these shows presents an amazing opportunity for Indonesian art to be seen on the international stage.
Bagus Pandega’s work ingeniously addresses the extraction of natural resources in Indonesia—from the 16th-century spice trade in nutmeg and cloves, to the palm oil industry, to the contemporary global demand for nickel used in batteries for computers, phones, and electric vehicles. Adopting a do-it-yourself, hacker approach, Pandega constructs modular systems using readily available, everyday technologies, natural materials such as plants and rare earth minerals, and musical instruments.
Bagus Pandega (b. 1985) is an Indonesian artist working primarily through the medium of installation. Pandega assembles various electronic systems as ‘modules’ and explores objects such as voice recorders, cassette and record players, lamps and electronic circuit boards—among others—to construct his works.
Pandega has exhibited extensively in local and international institutions including at Kunsthalle Basel, Basel; Swiss Institute, New York; ROH, Jakarta; Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta; Bangkok Art Biennale; and The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial.
Swiss Institute (SI) is an independent non-profit contemporary art institution dedicated to promoting forward-thinking and experimental art making through innovative exhibitions, education, and programs. Committed to the highest standards of curatorial and educational excellence, SI serves as a platform for emerging artists, catalyzes new perspectives on celebrated work, and fosters appreciation for under-recognized positions. SI is committed to being an organization that is diverse, equitable, accessible, and environmentally conscious in its work, structure, and programming.
Exhibition: Biennale Jogja 18 KAWRUH: Tanah Lelaku/Land of Rooted Practices
Date: 19 – 24 September, 2025; 5 October – 20 November 2025
Location: Karangsewu Village, Kulon Progo; Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Foundation MV is supporting the Indonesian artists for Biennale Jogja 18 KAWRUH: Tanah Lelaku/Land of Rooted Practices.
Biennale Jogja returns in 2025 with its 18th edition titled KAWRUH: Land of Rooted Practices, curated by Bob Edrian (Indonesia), Eva Lin (Taiwan), and the Yogyakarta-based youth collective ketjilbergerak. “Kawruh,” derived from the Javanese language, signifies knowledge as the result of accumulated experience critically examined through reason and intellect. KAWRUH is understood as both a reflection and a ripple of values that illuminate the timeline of knowledge development and the collective traditions of the people.
Biennale Jogja 18 2025 is divided into two phases. The First Phase is a repertoire with residents of Karangsewu Village (precisely Padukuhan Boro), Kulon Progo. Then it continues in the Second Phase in the Yogyakarta City area, Bangunjiwo Village, Panggungharjo Village, and Bantul. The biennale involves at least 50 artists from various regions in Indonesia, to name a few are Arahmaiani, Dolorosa Sinaga, Entang Wiharso, Iwan Yusuf, Marten Bayuaji, Mia Bustam, Syaura Qotrunadha as well as artists from surrounding areas and international artists in the Global South region.
Biennale Jogja 18 is organized by the Biennale Jogja Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian Cultural Endowment Fund (2024), the Cultural Department of the Yogyakarta Special Region Government, and the Yogyakarta Art Center.
Exhibition: Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025: Eternal [Kalpa]
Date: 29 November, 2025 – 30 April, 2026
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Foundation MV is supporting Riar Rizaldi for his new commission at the Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025: Eternal [Kalpa]. His work, titled Badak, will debut at the Biennale. The support will help cover important travel and production costs.
Badak is a film installation made up of a 20-minute projection shown in a circular frame and a sculpture of a Javan rhinoceros skeleton cast in tin.
The film follows an Indonesian tin miner who enters a shaft in rural Java and suddenly emerges on a beach in Phuket as a tourist. Along the way, the story connects mining and tourism as forms of extraction. Non-human figures—the Javan rhinoceros and Phuket’s deities—appear as forces shaping this transformation.
Riar Rizaldi (b. 1990) is an Indonesian artist and filmmaker. His artistic practice focuses mostly on worldviews and the possibility of theoretical fiction.
His works have been shown at various international film festivals (including Locarno, IFFR, FID Marseille, Viennale, BFI London, Cinema du Reel, etc.) as well as Centre Pompidou, Paris; NTT InterCommunication Center, Tokyo; Taipei Biennial; Istanbul Biennial; Venice Architecture Biennale; and other institutions.
The itinerant Thailand Biennale was initiated to decentralize contemporary art in Thailand and engage new audiences, revitalising and reimagining provincial destinations for visitors and locals alike. Thailand Biennale Phuket will be the fourth exhibition in the series, organized by Thailand’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture in partnership with the provincial government of Phuket. The 4th edition of the Thailand Biennale, titled Eternal Kalpa is led by Artistic Directors Arin Rungjang and David Teh with curators Hera Chan and Marisa Phandharakrajadej.
