You are invited to experience a moving exhibition by Dadang Christanto, titled Nineteen Sixty-Five, exhibiting at the QUT Art Museum from Thursday November 19 to Sunday February 29. Indonesian born, Dadang Christanto is a leading international artist who has been an outspoken art activist. His passion for human rights resonates throughout his practice.

One night in 1965, the father of Indonesian-born artist Dadang Christanto was taken by force and the family home burned to the ground. Christanto’s father’s fate remains unknown – but, like so many, he is assumed dead. As a child growing up in an Indonesia immersed in the horrors of violent political upheaval, the young Christanto was not alone in his plight. It is said that rivers were blocked by dead bodies and an estimated 1.5 million people were killed, and tens of thousands jailed without trial during the coup of 1965 and the ensuing 32 years of the Suharto regime.

Since Christanto’s arrival in Australia in 1999, his practice has been informed by the numerous human-rights violations that plagued the 20th century and have continued into the current century. Christanto’s work concerns itself with honouring and remembering victims of institutional violence and, in doing so, acknowledges not only the immensity of human suffering, but also our capacity for shared understanding and compassion.

As the artist says, “When I speak of victims, this is not just those who suffered in 1965 but everyone who has suffered the misfortune of systematic violence.”

One of the most powerful aspects of Christanto’s art has been the performances associated with his works, which bring them to life. Christanto will perform In red live at QUT Art Museum to coincide with the opening at 6:00 pm on Wednesday November 18. Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to make a gift from joss paper or offer a prayer to those who have lost their lives through systematic violence. Entry is free.