A new series of five monumental charcoal drawings by Maryanto unde the title Not An Empty Land, created especially for the exhibition, will be presented in the group show Bakudengar in Museum Arnhem in the Netherlands. The title Bakudengar combines the Indonesian words baku (“mutual”) and dengar (“to hear and listen”), reflecting themes of dialogue and protest. The exhibition focuses on West Papua, Maluku, Minahasa, and the Chinese-Indonesian community, addressing urgent issues such as struggles for freedom, environmental protection, the legacy of Dutch colonialism and the New Order, the value of pre-colonial traditions, forced migration, and the vital role of women in preserving culture.
Maryanto tells stories through landscapes. His large, mostly black-and-white drawings explore the grey areas of history and politics. His work often focuses on the depletion of natural resources in Indonesia, such as palm oil production and the extraction of gold and nickel. He also examines the lasting consequences of colonialism, the greed of large corporations, and the damage to the environment.
With these five drawings, he explores the consequences of a massive deforestation project in Merauke, in southern West Papua. The Indonesian government plans to cut down two million hectares of primeval forest on the pretext of ensuring national food security, neither considering nor including the local communities that suffer as a result of such necropolitical practices. This radical plan was already being prepared under Dutch colonial rule. In the 1950s, research was conducted to determine whether the region was suitable for large-scale mechanical rice cultivation. It was assumed to be an empty area: a forgotten, uninhabited wilderness that could be cultivated for the benefit of national prosperity and profit, but in reality, came at the expense of marginalized local communities.
The land has never been empty. It is home to the culture of the Indigenous Papuan population. For the five communities in Merauke - Malind Anim, Malind Makleuw, Yeinan, Kimahima, and Kanum -the land, plants, and animals are family, not commodities. The destruction of their natural environment means their own destruction. Yet they are survivors with a long history and evolutionary lineage, like the tropical flightless bird, the cassowary, which symbolizes their resilience. As a powerful sign of resistance, more than 1,400 red crosses have been planted at key compromised locations.
Arnhem Museum, Bakudengar exhibition text.
