BIOGRAPHY
Aliansyah Caniago, born in 1987 in Indonesia, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work critically examines the intersections of power, social injustice, and environmental crises. He earned a Master of Arts in Art and Ecology from Goldsmiths, University of London, where he honed his research-based practices.
Caniago's artistic practice is deeply rooted in the contexts of Java and Sumatera, Indonesia, where he engages with idea of central (metropole) and periphery (satellite), and works with different communities affected by industrialisation. His work encompasses various mediums, including studio-based practices, site-specific installations, and durational performances. He explores themes such as land-use conflict, migration and urbanisation, waste, resource, and contested spaces, critically assessing the legacy of modernity on both human and non-human worlds.
Currently, Caniago focuses on Barus, a historically significant port town in North Sumatra, closely tied to his family history and the extinction of the Camphor Tree (Kapur Barus). His investigations into this versatile organism have enabled him to explore colonial extractivism: science and economic botany, Indigenous cosmologies: ecological degradation and intergenerational loss. His work manifests through performance, installation, drawing, and film, supported by extensive research involving colonial archives, fieldwork, and oral histories.
Caniago has exhibited his work in several prominent international institutions, including the Tainan Art Museum (Taiwan, 2024), MuseumQuartier (Austria, 2024), and MUMA-Monash University Museum of Art (Australia, 2018). His artistic reach extends globally, with participation in significant events such as the Jakarta Biennale (Indonesia, 2017), the 14th Lyon Biennale (France, 2017), and Documenta 15 (Germany, 2022). In 2023, he received the Unconditional Trust: Indonesia award from the Asian Art Archive and Para Site in Hong Kong.
In addition to his artistic practice, Caniago is a co-founder of several collectives, including Unground Collective (London), Gerilya Artist Collective (Bandung), and MoT+++ (Ho Chi Minh). These initiatives reflect his commitment to collaboration, shared learning experiences, and resistance, underscoring his belief in art as a vehicle for communal and transformative action.
Aliansyah Caniago, born in 1987 in Indonesia, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work critically examines the intersections of power, social injustice, and environmental crises. He earned a Master of Arts in Art and Ecology from Goldsmiths, University of London, where he honed his research-based practices.
Caniago's artistic practice is deeply rooted in the contexts of Java and Sumatera, Indonesia, where he engages with idea of central (metropole) and periphery (satellite), and works with different communities affected by industrialisation. His work encompasses various mediums, including studio-based practices, site-specific installations, and durational performances. He explores themes such as land-use conflict, migration and urbanisation, waste, resource, and contested spaces, critically assessing the legacy of modernity on both human and non-human worlds.
Currently, Caniago focuses on Barus, a historically significant port town in North Sumatra, closely tied to his family history and the extinction of the Camphor Tree (Kapur Barus). His investigations into this versatile organism have enabled him to explore colonial extractivism: science and economic botany, Indigenous cosmologies: ecological degradation and intergenerational loss. His work manifests through performance, installation, drawing, and film, supported by extensive research involving colonial archives, fieldwork, and oral histories.
Caniago has exhibited his work in several prominent international institutions, including the Tainan Art Museum (Taiwan, 2024), MuseumQuartier (Austria, 2024), and MUMA-Monash University Museum of Art (Australia, 2018). His artistic reach extends globally, with participation in significant events such as the Jakarta Biennale (Indonesia, 2017), the 14th Lyon Biennale (France, 2017), and Documenta 15 (Germany, 2022). In 2023, he received the Unconditional Trust: Indonesia award from the Asian Art Archive and Para Site in Hong Kong.
In addition to his artistic practice, Caniago is a co-founder of several collectives, including Unground Collective (London), Gerilya Artist Collective (Bandung), and MoT+++ (Ho Chi Minh). These initiatives reflect his commitment to collaboration, shared learning experiences, and resistance, underscoring his belief in art as a vehicle for communal and transformative action.