Thursday, 30 April, 6-8pm

Join us at Incinerator Gallery for a live music and dance performance by dancer/actor/ researcher Sekar Sari and multi-instrumentalist Ria Soemardjo – an improvised response to the themes of memory and belonging explored in Leo Bagus Purnomo’s exhibition Alas-alasan. As both performers share Javanese cultural heritage, their exploration draws on their deeply personal connection to the rich symbolism and cosmology of batik.

Sekar Sari is an actor, dancer, and researcher from Java, currently based in Naarm. She is undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne, where her project, Indigenous Intercultural Bodies: Rasa in Indonesian Dance Film, explores performance, embodiment, and intercultural cinema through Indonesian dance film. Her work centres on rasa—an Indonesian aesthetic, affective, and embodied mode of knowing—and unfolds across movement, screen practice, and cultural diplomacy. Sekar holds an International Master’s Degree in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage, and has received acting awards including Best Performance on Silver Screen at the Singapore International Film Festival and Best Actress at the Usmar Ismail Awards.

Ria Soemardjo  is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Naarm, with a passion for collaborating with artists across artforms and cultures. Her haunting vocal style and mesmerising soundscapes reflect her Australian/Indonesian cultural heritage and her fascination for Javanese and Balinese gamelan traditions. Ria’s more recent site responsive projects integrate movement and sound to invite audiences into powerful, contemporary rituals.

Light refreshments will be served.

Thursday, 28 May, 6-8pm

Join us on the last Thursday of every month for free late-night sessions of our Autumn exhibitions with performances, talks and music. Light refreshments are served. May performance to be announced.