Mirwan Andan & Iswanto Hartono
© Mirwan Andan & Iswanto Hartono
Mirwan Andan & Iswanto Hartono are artists who sift through the remnants of political imagination and social transformations of Indonesian society that have taken place since the period of decolonisation, as well as their long-term cultural ramifications. Following independence, In the 1950s, Indonesia’s first president Sukarno sought to position the nation at the forefront of forging new political solidarities outside of the hegemonic powers of the West.
Andan & Iswanto’s installation primarily focuses on GANEFO — Games of the New Emerging Forces — an alternative Olympics for “emerging nations” that had at its peak 51 participating states from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Sukarno stated: “The International Olympic Games have proved to be openly an imperialistic tool… Now let’s frankly say, sports have something to do with politics. Indonesia proposes now to mix sports with politics… And let us now establish the Games of the New Emerging Forces, the G-A-N-E-F-O ! G-A-N-E-F-O–Olympic Games between the nations of the New Emerging Forces! Games of Asian Peoples, Games of African Peoples, Games of Latin American Peoples and Games of Socialist Countries’ Peoples! Games of all New Emerging Forces–against the Old Established Order!”. The first games took place in 1963 in Jakarta, and ultimately only one subsequent event took place, the Asian GANEFO (only Asian countries participated) held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1966.
Andan & Iswanto’s action is timely in developing a new installation reflecting on GANEFO for the exhibition. Through field research in Indonesia, they examined remnants of GANEFO in the everyday — including the names of people, places, streets and products related to GANEFO. Combing video interviews, visual culture artefacts, anthems, and newly produced banner artworks that were emblematic of the movements, demonstrating how these intangible infrastructures served as important political and cultural remnants of GANEFO, as seen today in Indonesian society, 62 years later, and beyond.
Both Hartono and Andan are part of ruangrupa — a collective based in Jakarta who have been fundamental in the development of collaborative practices and alternative cultural infrastructures outside of the globalised artistic sphere. The collective were the artistic directors of documenta fifteen/lumbung one, Kassel, 2022.
ALHAMDULILLAH, NAMA KAMI GANEFO
ALHAMDULILLAH, OUR NAME IS GANEFO
ALHAMDULILLAH, ONZE NAAM IS GANEFO
ALHAMDULILLAH, NOTRE NOM EST GANEFO
الحمد لله، اسمنا غانيفو
2025
4 single-channel videos, murals, flags, audio installation
Courtesy the artists