Jumaadi: My Love is in an Island Far Away

The long and often fraught relationship between Australia and Indonesia is at the heart of this new exhibition by internationally acclaimed Javanese artist Jumaadi. Drawing inspiration from Cintaku Jauh di Pulau (My Love is an Island Far Away), an epic poem by the Indonesian writer Chairil Anwar, Jumaadi juxtaposes it against the brutal treatment of Javanese political prisoners during the 20th century, many of whom were forced from their homes and exiled to the penal colony of Western Papua before being imprisoned in Cowra during the Second World War. Consisting of more than 350 works, including a large installation of paintings representing the 1200 Javanese prisoners detained at Cowra, the exhibition will be accompanied by a live shadow play performance as part of Sydney Festival. Running from January 22-24, Island of Shadow combines traditional wyang kulit shadow play with contemporary light and sound to explore issues of global power in historic Indonesia.