Taring Padi is a community of underground artists in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. They formed in 1998 during the general upheaval following the fall of Suharto.[1]
Taring Padi are well known for the production of cartoonlike posters embedded with political and social justice messages, using the cukil (woodcut) technique onto paper or canvas. In addition to their print work, they also create kinetic sculptures, street theater performances, punk rock and techno music.
After the fall of Suharto, Taring Padi occupied an abandoned art school, which they use as a residence and workspace for creating art, music and theater. Despite being well known among international art collectors and underground communities—such as the Just Seeds Artists Cooperative.
Works by Taring Padi have been shown in many formal and non-formal settings including Indonesia's National Gallery in Jakarta and at the 31st Century Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand.[2] Taring Padi was also included in the group show Sisa: re-use, collaborations and cultural activism from Indonesia at the University of Technology, Sydney gallery.
In 2004 a film about Taring Padi by filmmakers Jamie Nicolai and Charlie Hillsmith, "Indonesian Arts, Activism and Rock 'n' Roll" was screened on SBS.[3] A short cut of this film can be seen at YouTube.[4] Filmmaker Rohan Langford has made a brief profile of Taring Padi artist Aris Prabawa, who in 2010 held solo shows at the Asia Australia Arts Centre (4A) and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney, Australia.
In May 2010 Taring Padi and networks, together with the victims of Siring Village and surrounds, collaborated to make a commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the disaster. They held etching, screenprinting, painting and singing workshops, culminating with a carnival and a people's stage on the edge of the dam containing the mud. A film documenting this project can be seen and downloaded at engagemedia.org.[5]
Taring Padi will be launching a book in Indonesian and English covering 10 years of the collective's work, including art work and academic articles. The book will be launched in a number of cities in Indonesia from mid to late 2011.