Ms Arahmaiani –5
5Independent, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
In this presentation, I will discuss aspects of my life and career dealing with environmental issues. I will specifically focus on my projects with local people in the Qinghai Plateau (Khamp area of Tibet) in the last 10 years. The Qinghai Plateau is one of the regions with the richest biodiversity in the world and also one of the largest ice fields, known as the ‘Third Pole’. It is also known as the ‘Water Tower’ of Asia because more than two billion people in Asia live from the water from the Plateau. The glaciers are rapidly melting and often causing floods and mudflows. Environmental experts have predicted in 2030 the water sources in the Plateau will dry up. With our creative projects, we try to raise awareness about the environmental conditions in the Tibet Plateau, which will influence the ecological balance both at the regional and global levels. Through so-called ‘community-based art projects’, we have managed to develop environmental action, such as garbage management, tree planting, organic farming, reviving nomadic culture and lifestyle, and water management.
Biography
Ms Arahmaiani is one of the leading figures in the Indonesian contemporary art scene. Her work has dealt with cultural and environmental issues, contemporary politics, and a critique of capitalism. Since 2010, she has been working on environmental issues with Tibetan monks in the Tibet Plateau.