Color Curtain - Revision history

R Intan: /* Tuesday, October 24, 2023 */

2026-01-31T12:20:40Z

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:20, 31 January 2026
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	=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===		=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===
	''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman and Rachel Surijata (Indonesia); Vera Mey (London), Suman Gopinath (Bangalore), Elizabeth Asafo-Adjei (Accra)''		''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman and Rachel K. Surijata (Indonesia); Vera Mey (London), Suman Gopinath (Bangalore), Elizabeth Asafo-Adjei (Accra)''

	This panel considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung" and why the call for a return to Bandung, is still regarded as threatening to a political world order. We consider how this plays out in the realms of aesthetics as a disruptor to the symbolically political.		This panel considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung" and why the call for a return to Bandung, is still regarded as threatening to a political world order. We consider how this plays out in the realms of aesthetics as a disruptor to the symbolically political.

R Intan: /* Thursday, November 4, 2021 */

2026-01-31T12:20:13Z

Thursday, November 4, 2021

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:20, 31 January 2026
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	=== Thursday, November 4, 2021 ===		=== Thursday, November 4, 2021 ===
	''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman, Rachel K. Surijata''		''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman, Rachel K. Surijata (Indonesia)''

	This conference took place online via Zoom and were hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt.		This conference took place online via Zoom and were hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt.
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	=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===		=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===
	''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman and Rachel Surijata; Vera Mey (London), Suman Gopinath (Bangalore), Elizabeth Asafo-Adjei (Accra)''		''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman and Rachel Surijata (Indonesia); Vera Mey (London), Suman Gopinath (Bangalore), Elizabeth Asafo-Adjei (Accra)''

	This panel considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung" and why the call for a return to Bandung, is still regarded as threatening to a political world order. We consider how this plays out in the realms of aesthetics as a disruptor to the symbolically political.		This panel considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung" and why the call for a return to Bandung, is still regarded as threatening to a political world order. We consider how this plays out in the realms of aesthetics as a disruptor to the symbolically political.

R Intan: /* The color curtain and the promise of Bandung */

2026-01-31T12:19:02Z

The color curtain and the promise of Bandung

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:19, 31 January 2026
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	== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==		== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==
	[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, April 18-24 1955.]]		[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, April 18-24 1955.]]
	~~This conference take their~~ title ~~and~~ point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.		The title took a point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.

	Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.		Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.

R Intan: /* The conference */

2026-01-26T10:07:33Z

The conference

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:07, 26 January 2026
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	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?
			[[File:What could have been, a panel part of PKN 2023, about "Spectre of Bandung".jpg\|thumb\|'''''What could have been''''', a panel part of PKN 2023, that considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung".]]

	=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===		=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===

R Intan: /* The color curtain and the promise of Bandung */

2026-01-26T10:00:42Z

The color curtain and the promise of Bandung

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:00, 26 January 2026
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	== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==		== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==
	[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, April 18-24 1955.]]		[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, April 18-24 1955.]]
	This conference ~~and exhibition~~ take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.		This conference take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.

	Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.		Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.
Line 9:		Line 9:
	Taking Wright’s report as a point of departure, this project seeks to re-examine the so-called “promise” of Bandung and the ways in which it was culturally articulated—through its hopes, disillusions, and contestations—its resonance with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and its continuing contemporary significance.		Taking Wright’s report as a point of departure, this project seeks to re-examine the so-called “promise” of Bandung and the ways in which it was culturally articulated—through its hopes, disillusions, and contestations—its resonance with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and its continuing contemporary significance.

	We conceive of culture and art as part of a system of action intended to effect change in the world. This action-centered approach emphasizes the practical, mediatory role of art within social processes, in which cultural and artistic practices mediate social agency among people, objects, and activities. This perspective built the “storylines” developed by researchers for the conference ~~and exhibition,~~ with the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung serving as a catalytic point of reference.		We conceive of culture and art as part of a system of action intended to effect change in the world. This action-centered approach emphasizes the practical, mediatory role of art within social processes, in which cultural and artistic practices mediate social agency among people, objects, and activities. This perspective built the “storylines” developed by researchers for the conference with the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung serving as a catalytic point of reference.

	== The conference ==		== The conference ==
	[[File:Asia Africa Conference in Bandung.jpg\|thumb\|The delegation of 29 countries who joined in Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]		[[File:Asia Africa Conference in Bandung.jpg\|thumb\|The delegation of 29 countries who joined in Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]
	~~In preparation of an exhibition~~, ~~the~~ conference took place ~~in [...]~~ and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.
			=== Thursday, November 4, 2021 ===
			''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman, Rachel K. Surijata''

			This conference took place online via Zoom and were hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt.

	[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' (Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things) for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.		[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' (Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things) for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.

	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?

			=== Tuesday, October 24, 2023 ===
			''Grace Samboh, Arham Rahman and Rachel Surijata; Vera Mey (London), Suman Gopinath (Bangalore), Elizabeth Asafo-Adjei (Accra)''

			This panel considers the exhibition that was planned "Spectres of Bandung" and why the call for a return to Bandung, is still regarded as threatening to a political world order. We consider how this plays out in the realms of aesthetics as a disruptor to the symbolically political.

R Intan at 09:08, 26 January 2026

2026-01-26T09:08:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:08, 26 January 2026
Line 18:		Line 18:

	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?

	~~== The exhibition ==~~
	~~The exhibition took place at the The University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive from the end of October until the beginning of November 2023.~~

R Intan: /* The conference */

2026-01-26T07:23:53Z

The conference

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:23, 26 January 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==		== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==
	[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]		[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, April 18-24 1955.]]
	This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.		This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.

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	== The conference ==		== The conference ==
	[[File:Asia Africa Conference in Bandung.jpg\|thumb\|The delegation of countries in Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]		[[File:Asia Africa Conference in Bandung.jpg\|thumb\|The delegation of 29 countries who joined in Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]
	In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.		In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.

	[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' or Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.		[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' (Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things) for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.

	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?

R Intan: /* The color curtain and the promise of Bandung */

2026-01-23T07:39:49Z

The color curtain and the promise of Bandung

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:39, 23 January 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==		== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==
			[[File:Asia Africa Conference.jpg\|thumb\|Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]
	This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.		This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.

Line 11:		Line 12:

	== The conference ==		== The conference ==
			[[File:Asia Africa Conference in Bandung.jpg\|thumb\|The delegation of countries in Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, 1955.]]
	In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.		In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.

R Intan: /* The color curtain and the promise of Bandung */

2026-01-23T07:22:49Z

The color curtain and the promise of Bandung

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:22, 23 January 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==		== The color curtain and the promise of Bandung ==
	This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 ~~Asian–African~~ Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.		This conference and exhibition take their title and point of departure from Richard Wright’s ''The Color Curtain: A Report on the Bandung Conference'' (1956), a critical reflection on the symbolic impact of the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955. Bandung marked a historical moment in which existing affinities and solidarities found a shared name—''Afro-Asian''—and entered cultural and political discourse. In essence, the Afro-Asian solidarity movement, catalyzed by Bandung, emerged as an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist movement.

	Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.		Drawing connections between the Bandung Conference and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in the United States, Richard Wright championed the African American cause and called for solidarity with the struggles of “colored peoples” against capitalist, Western, and white exploitation. Central to this objective was cultural cooperation between Asia and Africa and their diasporas, as Angadipuram Appadorai, Secretary-General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, wrote in his influential text on the Bandung Conference. Notably, the conference established a cultural committee alongside its political and economic committees. Yet it has remained less clear how the political values celebrated during the Bandung era informed the aesthetics of artists and cultural workers.
Line 8:		Line 8:
	Taking Wright’s report as a point of departure, this project seeks to re-examine the so-called “promise” of Bandung and the ways in which it was culturally articulated—through its hopes, disillusions, and contestations—its resonance with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and its continuing contemporary significance.		Taking Wright’s report as a point of departure, this project seeks to re-examine the so-called “promise” of Bandung and the ways in which it was culturally articulated—through its hopes, disillusions, and contestations—its resonance with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and its continuing contemporary significance.

	We conceive of culture and art as part of a system of action intended to effect change in the world. This action-centered approach emphasizes the practical, mediatory role of art within social processes, in which cultural and artistic practices mediate social agency among people, objects, and activities. This perspective ~~informs~~ the “storylines” developed by researchers for the conference and exhibition, with the 1955 ~~Asia–Africa~~ Conference in Bandung serving as a catalytic point of reference.		We conceive of culture and art as part of a system of action intended to effect change in the world. This action-centered approach emphasizes the practical, mediatory role of art within social processes, in which cultural and artistic practices mediate social agency among people, objects, and activities. This perspective built the “storylines” developed by researchers for the conference and exhibition, with the 1955 Asia Africa Conference in Bandung serving as a catalytic point of reference.

	== The conference ==		== The conference ==
	In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.		In preparation of an exhibition, the conference took place in [...] and hosted by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Städelschule Frankfurt. In collaboration with Hyphen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia; [https://www.instagram.com/blaxtarlines/?hl=de BlaXtarlines Kumasi] and National Museum Accra, Ghana; [https://www.nationalgallery.sg/ Singapore National Gallery]; Ateneo Gallery at the Ateneo University Manila, Philippines. Supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Städelschule Frankfurt.

	[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' or Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other ~~things—for~~ this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.		[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' or Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.

	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?

R Intan at 10:39, 12 January 2026

2026-01-12T10:39:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:39, 12 January 2026
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	[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' or Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things—for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.		[[Grace Samboh]] and Arham Rahman delivered a presentation in Bahasa Indonesia about ''Karangan: Lampiran tentang pengelolaan, keramah-tamahan, dan lain-lain'' or Appendices on organization, hospitality, and other things—for this conference with the support from [[Rachel K. Surijata]] as a translator.

	Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual ~~—therefore factual—~~ proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?		Through a selection of images, this presentation tried to unpack the creation of what is now tagged as "the Bandung spirit" through one particular aspect of the conference’s organizational side. The National Archive of Indonesia (ANRI) logged at least 565 photographic archives from the preparation up to the event. Oftentimes, these images are treated, read, and analyzed as evidence, visual, therefore factual proofs. Have we ever considered that the Asia Africa Conference (1955) might be consciously constructed to be a myth?

			== The exhibition ==
			The exhibition took place at the The University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive from the end of October until the beginning of November 2023.