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Tromarama
Happy hour
2010
the indonesian artist collective, tromarama
works predominantly with stopmotion
animation techniques. their imaginative
and playful video works question the
experiences of daily life — often from the
perspective of ‘kidults’ — to highlight and
critique indonesian politics and society.
Happy hour
2010 reveals a witty critique
of the indonesian bank scandal of 2010.
inspired by the group’s belief that the
currency at the centre of the corruption
must have been personally stressed by its
involvement, they devised a ‘happy hour’ for
the banknotes at a karaoke bar. the video
shows animated rupiah banknotes, complete
with depictions of various figures of national
pride, singing along to a musical score.
Tromarama
/ Indonesia est. 2004 /
Happyhour
(still) 2010 / Single-
channel video animation, looped: 1:56 minutes, black and white, sound,
ed. 2/3 / Purchased 2011. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
An-my Lê
Clearing trip wires, Indonesia
(from ‘events
ashore’ series) 2010
Vietnamese artist an-my lê’s photographs
and films examine the consequences and
representations of war, often framing the
tension between the natural landscape and
its violent transformation into battlefields.
shifting between documentary and staged
photography, lê explores the disjunction
between war as historical event and the
ubiquitous representation of military power
in entertainment and politics, as well as its
place in the collective consciousness.
acquired with funds from michael sidney
myer through the Queensland art gallery
Foundation, six photographs from lê’s
photographic series ‘events ashore’
(commenced in 2005) are now in the
gallery’s collection. the images document
the artist’s experiences with the Us-armed
forces as they travel to different sites of
operation.
An-My Lê
/ Vietnam b.1960 /
Clearing tripwires, Indonesia
(from
‘Events Ashore’ series) 2010 / Archival inkjet pigment print / 101.6 x
143.5 cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary
Asian Art. Purchased 2011 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer
through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Almagul menlibayeva, Bahar Behbahani
Ride the Caspian
2011
Ride the Caspian
is a two-channel video
exploring the dialogue between ancient
cultures bordering the caspian sea, a salt
lake located between south-eastern europe
and asia. probing the relationship between
the urban culture of persia and the pre-
islamic traditions of the region’s nomadic
kazakh tribes, it follows an enigmatic cast
of characters, focusing on the provocative
performance of an archetypal female
figure, strikingly photographed against
the backdrop of industrialised, post-soviet
kazakhstan. bubbling with cheeky humour
and an inventive soundtrack and imagery,
the work is rich in allusion to the cultural
and social complexity of a region of
profound geopolitical significance.
Almagul Menlibayeva
/ Kazakhstan b.1969 /
Bahar Behbahani
/
Iran b.1973 /
Ride theCaspian
2011 / HD video, two-channel video
installation: 11:46 minutes, colour, surround sound; digital photographs
mounted on wall, ed. 2/6 / Purchased 2011. Queensland Art Gallery
Foundation
