The Emerald of Equator - Tita Salina (ID) and Irwan Ahmett (ID)

Recklinghausen Arkadien (ca. Grafenwall 1, 45657 Recklinghausen)

This text is in german only.

Das Künstlerduo Irwan Ahmett und Tita Salina wurde im Mai 2014 als Entwicklungshelfer aus Indonesien ins Vest eingeladen. Sie kommen selbst von einem Archipel im fernen Osten, das auf dem Äquator liegt. Ein Ort, an dem das ganze Jahr die Sonne scheint, wo ein Mosaik von Kulturen die Einzigartigkeit jeder Insel schmückt und Touristen aus aller Welt zu einem Besuch verführt. Irwan Ahmett und Tita Salina verlegen den Äquator mitten in die Innenstadt von Recklinghausen. Sie fanden bereits sieben imaginäre Inseln in der Stadt und stellten sie den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in einer Reihe von Aktivitäten vor.

Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina

Irwan Ahmett (b. 1975) and Tita Salina (b. 1973) work and live in Jakarta, Indonesia. They both studied Graphic Design at the Jakarta Institute of Art. They founded the Ahmett Salina design studio in Jakarta, which has been running for 14 years. They started to collaborate as an artist duo in 2011, focusing on urban issues and especially on public space. Social policy problems are sources of their creative work. In the last three years, they produced several autonomous projects, were involved in commissioned projects, and were also invited to residency programs in Jakarta, The Hague, Amsterdam, Istanbul, London, Sunderland, Singapore, Tokyo, Berlin, the Ruhr, and Bergen. Their art practice utilizes situations and found objects; it involves the public, responds to habits of citizens, investigates social issues, and even follows ancient prophecies – in order to process those findings on the plane of playfulness. Ahmett and Salina have always wanted to make the world smile again, and they believe that play is a gun!