Appropriation as a Deconstructive Strategy in Yogyakarta Contemporary Art: Academic artists’ engagement with meaning and context

I Gede Arya Sucitra; Evan Sapentri; Syamsiar; Michael Höpfner

doi:10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI39.7677

Authors

I Gede Arya Sucitra Department of Fine Arts, Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Evan Sapentri Department of Fine Arts, Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Syamsiar Department of Fine Arts, Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia
Michael Höpfner Department of Art and Time, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Vienna, Austria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI39.7677

Keywords:

Painting, deconstruction, art appropriation, Yogyakarta contemporary art

Abstract

Rooted in Derrida’s concept of deconstruction, this study examines how academic artists in Yogyakarta employ appropriation to challenge modernist notions of originality and authenticity. Through in-depth interviews, document analysis, and two case studies, Setyo Priyo Nugroho’s "Java 1830" and Amir Hamzah's "The Great Day T(erri)rouble," it reveals appropriation as a vital postcolonial strategy that renegotiates power dynamics between global and local contexts. The findings emphasize the use of parody, pastiche, and recontextualization as techniques for revealing cultural capital and the legacies of colonialism, positioning appropriation as a dynamic discourse within contemporary Indonesian art and aesthetics.

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