Nadiah Bamadhaj’s Terpesona dengan Kegelisahan (Charmed by Anxiety) is a video collaboration with the Indonesian military, inspired by a viral video featuring the Indonesian National Military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia or TNI) performing a fear-inducing, nationalistic ritual.
Collaborating with the Garuda Merah troops from the Yogyakarta Infantry Battalion 403, the work showcases a slowed-down choreography set to the song Terpesona, combining an erotic yet intimidating energy that subverts the effects of a war cry.
In Melbourne for EXTRA, Bamadhaj shares insights into her process of making the work and her interest in the effect fear and anxiety have on collective memory.
Nadiah Bamadhaj was born in Malaysia in 1968, to a Malaysian Muslim father and a New Zealander mother of Scottish descent. Bamadhaj studied Fine Arts in New Zealand. She now lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after undertaking a year-long Nippon Foundation fellowship in 2002. Her academic pursuits and art making are undeniably influenced by these numerous geographical ties. In her work, the notion of person is inextricably tied to notions of place. Over the past decade, her practice has been motivated by a strong personal interest in political events and social phenomena that have shaped or affected her identity and outlook.