Melati Suryodarmo

Melati Suryodarmo is an Indonesian performance and dance artist who has gained international recognition for her powerful works. In her performances, she frequently employs physicality as a means to explore profound emotional themes that draw inspiration from the complexities of love, failure, displacement, and historical narratives.

In addition to her work in performance art, Melati Suryodarm is also actively engaged in the realms of installation, video, and photography.

Biography of Melati Suryodarmo

Melati Suryodarmo was born in 1969 in Surakarta, Indonesia. Currently, she lives and works between Gross Gleidingen, Germany, and Solo, Indonesia.

In 1994, Suryodarmo left Indonesia and headed to Braunschweig, Germany. Her initial plans involved working in photo retouching while nurturing aspirations to pursue studies in international relations. However, a serendipitous encounter at the city's botanical gardens with the Japanese Butoh choreographer Anzu Furukawa completely altered her trajectory, sparking a profound interest in performance art.

She pursued her studies at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig in Germany, where she had the privilege of learning under the mentorship of the renowned artist Marina Abramović and Anzu Furukawa imparted her expertise in the art of Butoh dance, a distinctive form of Japanese dance theater. In 2002, Melati Suryodarmo successfully completed her Master of Arts degree with a specialization in Performance Art, and in 2016 earned her Ph.D. from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Surakarta.

From 2013 to 2016, Suryodarmo served as a guest lecturer at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta.

Since Suryodarmo embarked on her artistic journey in 1996, she has showcased her distinctive works on prestigious stages, participating in numerous international festivals and exhibitions.

Notable highlights of her career include her participation in the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003 and her inclusion in the exhibition "Marking the Territory" at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.

Since 2007, Melati Suryodarmo has consistently organized an annual Performance Art Laboratory Project and the captivating Undisclosed Territory performance art event, both held in Solo, Indonesia.

In 2012, she took a significant step by establishing "Studio Plesungan," an innovative art space dedicated to the exploration of performance art. Her profound commitment to the art community culminated in her appointment as the Artistic Director of the Jakarta Biennale in 2017, where she had a lasting impact on the event's artistic direction and success.

In the year 2022, she received the prestigious eleventh Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art (BACA) from the Bonnefantenmuseum.

Notable solo exhibitions in Melati Suryodarmo's portfolio include: "Melati Suryodarmo: Why Let the Chicken Run?" at Museum MACAN, Jakarta (2020), "Melati Suryodarmo: Memento Mori" at STPI, Singapore (2019), "Melati Suryodarmo: I Love You" at ShanghART Beijing (2018), "Melati Suryodarmo's Video Works" at Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Adelaide (2015), "I am a Ghost in My Own House" at Lawangwangi Creative Space, Bandung, Indonesia (2012).

Melati Suryodarmo's performances

Suryodarmo's artistic essence combines dance, Butoh, historical narratives, personal life experiences, and daily meditation practices rooted in the Javanese 'sumarah' life philosophy. This amalgamation finds expression through meticulously choreographed live and recorded performances, as well as captivating photographic compositions.

Melati Suryodarmo's performances delve into the intersection of cultural, social, and political dimensions, using the canvas of her psychological and physical self. She explores themes such as identity, energy dynamics, political discourse, and the intricate relationships between the human body and its surrounding environments. In her performances, she adeptly translates both historical and contemporary elements, skillfully infusing traditional Indonesian culture's rituals and narratives. In her hands, these cultural treasures are thoughtfully recontextualized, bridging the past with the demands and perspectives of the modern era.

In her iconic "Exergie – Butter Dance" from 2000, Melati Suryodarmo endeavors to encapsulate a particular phase of existence marked by its inherent risks and the imperative to confront adversity and persevere. Her performance intricately captures this pivotal moment, portraying a recurring cycle as she dances upon a precarious mound of melting butter, teetering between control and loss, repeatedly experiencing falls and resolute recoveries.

In her 2001 creation titled "Lullaby for the Ancestors," Suryodarmo undertakes a mesmerizing ritual. She circles a horse repeatedly, cracking a whip, before immersing her head in a bucket of water. This performance draws inspiration from the traditional Javanese dance form known as "Jaran Kepang," characterized by dancers entering a trance state and undergoing various physically demanding trials.

In her 2012 piece titled "I Am a Ghost in My Own House," Suryodarmo delves into the realm of familial consciousness. In this performance, she undertakes the silent and arduous task of crushing and grinding charcoal briquettes for 12 hours. Through the deliberate destruction of a substance associated with energy generation—charcoal—Suryodarmo poignantly conveys a profound sense of loss.

In "Transaction of Hollows" (2016), Suryodarmo methodically released a multitude of arrows within a confined, pristine white environment—a poignant exploration of the paradoxical facets inherent in humanity's pursuit of both love and conflict.