Symbiosis
Extend the Hand of the Deities Indonesian Jamu and Molecular Gastronomy Workshop
2019
2019.10
Jamu is a traditional Indonesian herbal juice with centuries of history and thousands of variations. Originally developed as a traditional medicine for the imperial court, Jamu has since become an herbal juice for the people and it now showcases the different possible intersections between art, culture, and nature in an exchange projed between artist collectives of Taiwan and Indonesia.
Taiwanese art collective Open Contemporary Art Center (OCAC) initiated the ThaiTai Project in 2012, launching a new, unique model for oversea residency programs and art exchanges while also bridging art communities in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. OCAC first collaborated with Lifepatch, for CO-Temporary #2: Itu Aba Island in 2017 at Yogyakarta. The two art groups later converged at the 2019 Asian Art Biennial: The Strangers from beyond the Mountain and Sea, working together through a one-month residency to discuss, work, and co-create Deposits of the Island. During the 2019 Asian Art Biennale, OCAC and Lifepatch co-hosted the two-day "Extend the Hand of the Deities" workshop, converting their installation into a kitchen and lab to let audiences learn, experience, and test out the traditions, history, and cultural shifts of Indonesian and Taiwanese crops, spices, and herbal medicines.
Open Contemporary Art Center (OCAC)
The Open Contemporary Art Center is both a group of Taiwanese artists and an art space established in 2001. Through art curation, interdisciplinary exchanges, research and publication, and resource sharing, the OCAC attempts to offer more diverse possibilities for interactions between art and the public.
Lifepatch
Based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Lifepatch is a citizens' initiative in the arts, science, and technology that spotlights DIY and DIWO (Do It With Others) spirits.
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts was established in 1988 and specializes in collecting and researching modern and contemporary art of Taiwan. The Museum's Asian Art Biennial continues to research and explore the aesthetic value of contemporary art in Asia.
