"Constellations: Global Reflections" / Exhibition on G20 Gipfel in Bali

Kura Kura Island, Bali

“Constellations: Global Reflections“ (CGR) channels the energy and attention from world leaders attending the G20 summit in Bali to the general public through 20 site-specific artworks reflecting on current environmental and humanitarian crises. Fung Collaboratives curator, Lance Fung, worked with the artists for a year to realize their thought provoking commissions and investigations of ecology, colonialism, and consumption amid the political arena.

Artists Yinka Shonibare CBE, Kiki Smith, Thomas Ruff, Paola Pivi, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, Minerva Cuevas, Xu Bing, Kimsooja, each represent a G20 member state along with Tony Albert (Australia), Arahmaiani (Indonesia), Dana Awartani, (Saudi Arabia), Berkay Bugdan (Turkey), Genevieve Cadieux (Canada), N. S. Harsha (India), Kota Hirakawa (Japan), Naledi Tshegofatso Modupi (South Africa), A.D Pirous (Indonesia), Liliana Porter (Argentina), Caio Reisewitz (Brazil), and Ben Vautier (France).

This extremely diverse group of artists includes artists ranging in age from their 30’s to their 90’s. Each artist offers personal views of the need for global cooperation and continued policy changes regarding environmental justice, sea level rise, ocean plastic pollution, gender equity and the return to basic humanity and empathy in this unprecedented exhibition.

The highly visible exhibition may be seen in the day and night on Kura Kura Bali. Envisioned by Indonesian businesswoman, philanthropist and MoMA International Council member Cherie Nursalim, CGR is sited on Kura Kura, her eco-focused island in the heart of Bali.

Balinese textiles, lanterns, and Wayang, a traditional form of puppet theater, became the aesthetic inspirations for the exhibition. The 20 sculptures emit a quiet, reverent quality and act as beacons calling people from around the world to come together to experience art and act on creating a better and stronger future. The artworks, digitally printed on an eco-textile made primarily from recycled plastic, elevate the curatorial narrative to a monumental scale. Solar energy powers the rotation of the 20 huge, cylindrical lantern artworks and lights them after dark.

One of many goals for CGR is to celebrate the people and rich culture of Bali while uniting them with guests from the visiting G20 nations. All of the art in this exhibition, curated and project managed remotely, was fabricated within Bali. This ecologically sound and deliberate approach infused the Balinese people with a sense of ownership, pride, and employment. CGR aims to amplify Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese philosophy of life,” said Lance Fung. “Literally translated as “three ways to happiness or harmony”, the philosophy encompasses the three most important aspects of life on Bali including harmony with God, harmony among people, and harmony with nature.”

Following the G20 summit, “Constellations: Global Reflections” will be open free to the public. There will be an in person and virtual conversation on November 18th. Plans of a publication and traveling the exhibition are in discussion.