Bangkit Sama-Sama / Together We Rise

Bangkit Sama-Sama / Together We Rise

Multidisciplinary works by Bangkit/ Arise Artists

April 2, 2021- May 31, 2021 - U.S.
April 3, 2021 - June 1, 2021 - Indonesia

Bangkit Sama-Sama / Together We Rise

Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) presents Bangkit Sama-Sama/Arise Together, featuring the works of artists participating in the international exchange and residency Bangkit/Arise between the San Francisco Bay Area, U.S. and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The first phase of the exchange and residency took place in 2018 (see below to learn more). The next phase was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020; however, … Covid. Instead, the Bay Area and Yogyakarta artists have spent the past year connecting through online chats and sharing their experiences of life during the pandemic. In September/October the participating artists released a series of short videos on Instagram profiling their work during shelter-in-place as part of the larger global conversation on surviving the isolation of Covid.

While these efforts to stay connected and share experiences virtually isn’t a comparable substitute for the direct experience of working together in person, they are part of the collective energy to acknowledge the overwhelming struggles of the past year and to begin healing.

The phrase Urip Iku Urup refers to the Javanese philosophy that life is like a light or flame that should be passed around to share and benefit everyone; the greater the benefits we can provide for others, the better for all.

A contemporary interpretation of Urip Iku Urup in 2020/21 might be: Life is like our optical fibers, transmitting light[a] for communications over longer distances that should be free and accessible for everyone; the greater the benefits that we provide for others, the better for all.

Bangkit Sama-Sama/ Together We Rise is about the power of resilience and the belief that it is possible to rise together as a critical mass to create a world rooted in compassion, justice, and equity. Whether through deep reflection, social/political commentary, direct action, storytelling, beauty, or humor; these are all strategies for working collectively to heal.

Artists include:
Yogyakarta Indonesia: Nano Warsono, Bambang Toko, Ucup, Vina Puspita, and Hari Ndarvati

San Francisco/BayArea: Megan Wilson, Christopher Statton, Kelly Ording, Jet Martinez, Shaghayegh Cryous, Keyvan Shovir, and Joanna Ruckman

Virtual Tour of Bangkit Sama-Sama/ Together We Rise, Kunstmatrix Gallery, 2021

Flower Interruption: Pandemic 2020/21

Megan Wilson’s Flower Interruptions are a playful response to the monotony of the predictable and day-to-day routine, a perfect respite to daily life during Covid. Through these installations Wilson aims to create an unexpected environment of joy and delight for viewers/ participants.

Wilson’s Flower Interruptions began as a four-part series in 2002/03 (Tokyo Japan, Bali Indonesia, Yogyakarta Indonesia, San Francisco, USA) through which the slick Technicolor flowers were a striking contrast to the grit and gray of the selected cities and as a surreal addition to the tropical jungle of Bali, appearing as though they had been air dropped by a cartoon plane. Working in opposition to corporate advertising, the interruptions offered a respite in the landscape from the onslaught of profit-driven messages, which have become the backdrop for defining global culture and lining the pockets of an elite few.

Wilson’s flower works have continued to bloom and have become her signature motif for engaging audiences throughout the world in a broad range of environments and intents: 1) As an economic strategy for becak and bike drivers in Yogyakarta Indonesia and Jaipur India; 2) As a messaging tool to draw viewers in through the bold, bright designs of the flowers while delivering communications in an effort to raise consciousness around timely and critical subjects such as income inequality, environmental degradation, and the abuse of corporate power; and 3) To heighten awareness around the realities of homelessness.

Flower Interruption: Pandemic 2020/21 once again provides a playful, lively reprieve.