What motivates an artist, an individual, or an entire community to express seemingly irrational thoughts or to challenge the status quo? How does intergenerational interaction influence the values and culture that are being preserved? Voice Against Reason delves into these questions. Working in the intersection of arts, history, politics, and spiritualism, the project explores the role of language and literature as one of the tools that form our experiences and perception of the world.

One of the works exhibited in the show is Bisma (2023), a wooden sculpture by I Wayan Jana. The work is the artist’s interpretation of Bisma Dewabrata from the epic Mahabharata.

In the epic, Dewabrata was the heir to Hastinapura who renounced his birthright for the sake of his father’s wish to marry Dewi Satyawati. Dewabrata took a vow of lifelong celibacy so only Satyawati’s descendants would inherit the throne.

His vow touched the hearts of the Gods who bestowed him a new name, Bisma—he of the fierce vow. Bisma was also granted with a gift to decide the time of his own death.

The fight for the throne occurred in the following two generations, between the Pandawa and Kurawa, culminating in the Bharatayuddha—war of the Bharata’s descendants. The war was the pinnacle of Bisma’s vow, revealing his sacrifice as a true warrior.

In response to the work and the epic, this session invites Agus Aris Munandar, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Indonesia whose research focuses on the Hindu-Buddhist iconography and the ancient history of Nusantara. Designed as a performance lecture, Agus will tell the story of Bisma and share his perspective on spiritualist values that we can implement in our lives today.

I Wayan Jana (b. Indonesia, 1968). Bisma (2023). Carving on suar wood. 100 x 200 x 50 cm. Collection of the artist. Installation view of ‘Voice Against Reason' at Museum MACAN, Jakarta, 2023. Image courtesy of Museum MACAN.

Saturday, 24 February 2024 at 2.00–3.00 PM at Ruang Gagasan Museum MACAN-ERHA

This session will be delivered in Bahasa Indonesia and is accessible to the public with a valid museum ticket.

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For more information about this program, please contact the museum's Education and Public Program Department through WhatsApp at +62 812 8882 3755.

Prof. Dr. Agus Aris Munandar is a Tenured Professor at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia. He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in archaeology from the Universitas Indonesia, where his research focuses on the Hindu-Buddhist Archaeology of Indonesia from the 5th to 15th century CE. He has authored several articles and journals published in Indonesia and internationally. He is the author of several books, including Ibukota Majapahit, Masa Jaya dan Pencapaian (2009) and Gajah Mada: Biografi Politik (2010).