Beyond Versace

A board member of Ruang MES 56, Angki Purbandono, perhaps best known for his scanned collages, created his artist book, Beyond Versace, to document the orang gila, homeless and mentally ill people, on the streets of Yogyakarta. The artist spent about a year photographing his subjects, offering a profound commentary on power and privilege in an urban environment. The photographs give voice to people typically neglected in popular consciousness and call into question our notions about contemporary Indonesian culture and identity.A board member of artist group Ruang MES 56, Angki Purbandono, perhaps best known for his scanned collages, is represented in this exhibition by his artist book, Beyond Versace, that documents the orang gila, homeless and mentally ill people on the streets of Yogyakarta. The artist spent about a year photographing his subjects, offering a profound commentary on power and privilege in an urban environment. The photographs give voice to people typically neglected in popular consciousness and call into question our notions about contemporary Indonesian culture and identity. (“Identity Crisis: Reflections on Public and Private Life in Contemporary Javanese Photography,” co-curated by research associate Brian Arnold and Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum January 21-June 11, 2017)