Taring Padi

Taring Padi is a community of underground artists in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. They formed in 1998 during the general upheaval following the fall of Suharto.

Taring Padi are well known for the production of cartoon like posters embedded with political and social justice messages, using the cukil (blockprinting) technique onto paper or canvas. In addition to their print work, they also create kinetic sculptures, street theater performances, punk rock, and techno music.

After the fall of Suharto, Taring Padi occupied an abandoned art school, which they used as a residence and workspace for creating art, music and theater. The collective now has studio space and a library in Bantul.

Well known among international art collectors and underground communities – such as the Just Seeds Artists Cooperative – until recently there was very little written on Taring Padi in their native language. In January 2010 Heidi Arbuckle released the book ‘Taring Padi’, and the collective plans to publish its own book later this year.

Works by Taring Padi have been shown in Indonesia’s National Gallery in Jakarta. Taring Padi was also included in the group show Sisa: re-use, collaborations and cultural activism from Indonesia at the University of Technology, Sydney gallery.