This exhibition will be on view from 16 November 2024 until 6 April 2025 at Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN)
Le Brassus, 29 August 2024 – This November, Natasha Tontey (b.Indonesia, 1989) will unveil Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre, at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN), Jakarta, commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary. This expansive new installation –the artist’s first solo exhibition in an institutional context–will explore the multi-layered connection between humans and the natural world, interweaving primatology with speculative fiction. Tontey’s work considers the complex interactions between the population of macaque monkeys and the indigenous culture in the South Minahasa region of Indonesia, where the artist is from. In doing so, Tontey questions how ancestral cultures harmonise with our understanding of the modern world. Audemars Piguet Contemporary has been working closely with the artist and Museum MACAN, led by Venus Lau, to stage this work in Jakarta.
Natasha Tontey is a Minahasan artist based between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her artistic practice predominantly explores the history and myths surrounding ‘manufactured fear’, how it is constructed, facilitated and evoked. In her work, Tontey observes the subtle and personal struggle of outcast entities and beings, presenting possibilities of alternative futures.
In Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre, her largest work to date, Tontey bridges mystic indigenous culture with youth culture, drawing on futuristic aesthetics of video games, music videos, fantasy fiction and DIY productions. The multiscreen projection and installation will create an environment in which visitors can immerse themselves, exploring the setting and costumes used in the film. Incorporating installation and multi-channel video, a first in her practice, Tontey will create a fantastical environment, offering new personal perspectives on worldviews regarding environmental preservation and cultural heritage.
The work explores a reversal of the power relationships between living creatures – monkeys and humans – as seen from the perspective of Minahasan culture. The black-crested macaque, known as Yaki in Minahasan, is simultaneously viewed as part of the social structure of everyday life by the indigenous community and as vermin, known for invading villages and stealing crops. This relationship is further complicated by the recognition of the Yaki as an endangered species, prompting international organisations to encourage their preservation. As such, Tontey’s work considers the ways in which worldviews can conflict, highlighting divisions between perspectives and practices.
Natasha Tontey, said, “Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre is an effort to unpack, unearth, and explore the tension between humans and the Yaki, the black crested macaque, in Minahasa, which is often contradictory and convoluted. It engages with the dynamics of primatology, ecofeminism, and technology through the approach of speculative fiction. Primate Visions. Macaque Macabre is both a playful and a macabre world full of radical oddities!”
Venus Lau, Director, Museum MACAN, said, “We are honored to partner with Audemars Piguet Contemporary on their inaugural Indonesian commission, presenting Natasha Tontey’s captivating installation, Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre. At Museum MACAN, we believe in the power of art and culture to connect people, expand their perspectives, and spark meaningful dialogues that foster understanding. The collaboration with Audemars Piguet Contemporary underscores our shared commitment to this vision.”
Denis Pernet, Curator, Audemars Piguet Contemporary, said, “We are delighted to extend our curatorial programme to South East Asia and bring Natasha’s visionary concept to life. Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre marks Natasha’s largest solo show to date and Audemars Piguet Contemporary is proud to support her during this exciting moment in her career. At Audemars Piguet, we believe that creativity helps us see ourselves and the world differently. We look forward to sharing Natasha’s unique installation, which asks us to reconsider our relationships with living creatures and the environment.”
Follow the latest updates on Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre via www.museummacan.org and Museum Macan’s social media platforms.
