PhD | ‘Dismantling the Nostalgia: Art Practices Dealing with Colonial Leftovers’ – Timoteus Kusno

PhD | Dismantling the Nostalgia: Art Practices Dealing with Colonial Leftovers
PhD-candidate: Timoteus Kusno
Institution: University of Amsterdam
Supervisors: Prof. dr. ir. B.J. (Jeroen) de Kloet and Dr. L.K. (Leonie) Schmidt

This research critically examines the artist’s practice in relation to (de)colonial issues in the complex terrain of Indonesian history. The primary objective is to investigate the institutionalized and lasting influence of colonial thinking and knowledge production on shared colonial historiography and the contemporary Indonesian context, using the artist’s art projects as a lens. To achieve this aim, an autoethnographic approach will be utilized to scrutinize the pervasive power dynamics of coloniality that extend beyond physical and tangible objects. This research also reflects on the artist’s practice, which involves working with colonial objects, matters, and discourses, as well as the artist’s collaboration with the Rijksmuseum for the “Revolusi!” exhibition, the video art and film project series titled “Phantoms,” which feature colonial footage, and the long-term project of the ‘fictional’ Centre for Tanah Runcuk Studies.