This November, Natasha Tontey (b. Indonesia, 1989) will unveil Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN), Jakarta, commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary. This expansive new installation —the artist’s first solo exhibition in an institutional context—will explore the multi-layered connection between humans and the natural world, interweaving primatology with speculative fiction. Tontey’s work considers the complex interactions between the population of macaque monkeys and the indigenous culture in the South Minahasa region of Indonesia, where the artist is from. In doing so, Tontey questions how ancestral cultures harmonise with our understanding of the modern world. Audemars Piguet Contemporary has been working closely with the artist and Museum MACAN, led by Venus Lau, to stage this work in Jakarta.
Natasha Tontey is a Minahasan artist based between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her artistic practice predominantly explores the history and myths surrounding what the artist calls ‘manufactured fear’: how it is constructed, facilitated and evoked. In her work, Tontey observes the subtle and personal struggle of outcast entities and beings, presenting possibilities of alternative futures.
In Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre, her largest work to date, Tontey bridges mystic indigenous culture with youth culture, drawing on futuristic aesthetics of video games, music videos, fantasy fiction and DIY productions. The multiscreen projection and installation will create an environment in which visitors can immerse themselves, exploring the setting and costumes used in the film. Incorporating installation and multi-channel video, a first in her practice, Tontey will create a fantastical environment, offering new personal perspectives on worldviews regarding environmental preservation and cultural heritage.
The work explores a reversal of the power relationships between living creatures – monkeys and humans – as seen from the perspective of Minahasan culture. The black-crested macaque, known as Yaki in Minahasan, is simultaneously viewed as part of the social structure of everyday life by the indigenous community and as vermin, known for invading villages and stealing crops. This relationship is further complicated by the recognition of the Yaki as an endangered species, prompting international organisations to encourage their preservation. As such, Tontey’s work considers the ways in which worldviews can conflict, highlighting divisions between perspectives and practices.
“Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre is an effort to unpack, unearth, and explore the tension between humans and the Yaki, the black crested macaque, in Minahasa, which is often contradictory and convoluted. It engages with the dynamics of primatology, ecofeminism, and technology through the approach of speculative fiction. Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre is a both a playful and a macabre world full of radical oddities!” – Natasha Tontey
“We are honored to partner with Audemars Piguet Contemporary on their inaugural Indonesian commission, presenting Natasha Tontey’s captivating installation, Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre. At Museum MACAN, we believe in the power of art and culture to connect people, expand their perspectives, and spark meaningful dialogues that foster understanding. The collaboration with Audemars Piguet Contemporary underscores our shared commitment to this vision.” – Venus Lau, Director, Museum MACAN
“We are delighted to extend our curatorial programme to South East Asia and bring Natasha’s visionary concept to life. Primate Visions: Macaque Macabre marks Natasha’s largest solo show to date and Audemars Piguet Contemporary is proud to support her during this exciting moment in her career. At Audemars Piguet, we believe that creativity helps us see ourselves and the world differently. We look forward to sharing Natasha’s unique installation, which asks us as humans to reconsider our relationships with living creatures and the environment.” – Denis Pernet, Curator, Audemars Piguet Contemporary
“Seek Beyond.”
Natasha Tontey Natasha Tontey is a Minahasan artist based in between Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her recent exhibitions include a solo show at Auto Italia, London (2022). Selected group shows and screening at Museum MACAN, Jakarta, Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul (2023), 34th Singapore International Film Festival, 58th and 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2023, 2024), Singapore Biennale (2022); Stroom Den Haag (2022); GHOST; 2565, Bangkok (2022); Protozone8 Queer Trust, Zürich (2022); Arko Art Council, Seoul (2022), Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul (2022); Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin (2021); transmediale, Berlin (2021); Performance Space 2021, Sydney; Other Futures, Amsterdam (2021); Singapore International Film Festival (2021), Kyoto Experiment 2021; Asian Film Archive, Singapore (2021). In 2020, she received the HASH Award from the ZKM, Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and Akademie Schloss-Solitude. She was a fellow for Human Machine of the Junge Akademie at Akademie der Künste Berlin 2021–2023. – tontey.org
About Museum MACAN The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) is an art museum in Jakarta, Indonesia. It provides public access to a significant and growing collection of modern and contemporary art from Indonesia and around the world. The Museum has an active programme of exhibitions and events in a 7,100 square metre facility. – www.museummacan.org
About Audemars Piguet Contemporary Audemars Piguet believes that creativity feeds culture, connects people and gives purpose to our lives. Audemars Piguet Contemporary, the brand’s dedicated art programme, embodies this spirit by commissioning international artists to create contemporary artworks. The resulting artworks belong to the artists and contribute to their body of work. With the support of two in-house curators, new commissions are realised across a variety of scales and media, enabling artists to explore new territories in their practice. The team follows each carte blanche commission process from inception to exhibition. The nomadic programme fosters collaborations with cultural institutions around the world to present commissions to global audiences. Each Audemars Piguet Contemporary commissioned artwork is as an opportunity for new creation, bringing together audiences and broadening horizons, as well as leading to a better understanding within and between individuals. Since 2012, Audemars Piguet Contemporary has commissioned over 20 international artists including Andreas Angelidakis, Meriem Bennani, Aleksandra Domanović, Cao Fei, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano, Ryoji Ikeda, Yu Ji, Alexandra Pirici, Sallisa Rosa, Tomás Saraceno, Jana Winderen and Sun Xun. Commissioned artworks have been presented worldwide at major venues spanning Asia (Art Basel, Hong Kong; UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing), Europe (180 The Strand, London; Ars Electronica, Linz; Art Basel, Basel; Espace Niemeyer, Paris; House of Electronic Arts, Basel; the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Venice; Ocean Space, Venice; Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg; MAXXI, Rome; Palais de Tokyo, Paris), and the Americas (Art Basel, Miami; the High Line, New York; Times Square Arts, New York). – www.audemarspiguet.com/com/en/about/audemars-piguet-contemporary
