This talk will be held online only via Zoom (a link to the online stream will be sent to registered attendees) as part of the Australasian Network for Asian Art program in 2025.

In this inaugural session of the Australasian Network for Asian Art (AN4AA) Postgraduate Talk Series, artist Aulia Yeru and art historian Fausta Tan focus on rivers as sites of memory, ecology, and socio-political change. By examining the Cikapundung River in Bandung and the Singapore River, the speakers reflect on how artistic interventions reimagine the rivers’ engagement with histories and changing urban environments.

Aulia Yeru (University of New South Wales, Sydney)

Hydrosocially Engaged Art: Reimagining Human-Water Relationships through Artistic Practice on the Cikapundung River, Bandung, Indonesia

My artistic practice is embedded within the hydrosocial cycle—a dynamic interplay of water, human societies, and socio-political forces creating "hydrosocially engaged art". Focusing on the Cikapundung River in Bandung, Indonesia, the study highlights water as an active socio-natural entity shaped by geological and cultural processes. It identifies two key strands: "Reimagining the Stream," which explores water's material and visual representations, and "Engaging the Social," which addresses socio-political dimensions through artistic intervention.

Some of my practice-led research artworks include Aras Tarum, where indigo dye and river water invoke colonial histories. Aras Putih depicts abstract forms captured through submerging 35mm film in river water. The project, Susur Baur, is a community-driven walking initiative along the river, fostering interdisciplinary dialogues on environmental and socio-economic concerns.

Positioning my artistic practice as a catalyst for urban political ecology and environmental discourse, the research reframes hydrosocially engaged art as a critical tool for reimagining human-water relations. It situates art’s role along the Cikapundung River—from colonial propaganda to resistance—proposing interactions between humans and non-humans within the hydrosocial cycle.

Tan Yu Meng Fausta (LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore)

The River Runs Through: Investigating the role and influence of the Singapore River in the works of Cheo Chai-Hiang and Debbie Ding to evoke memories and shape identity

The Singapore River is a significant icon of the nation’s social and economic development. Over the years, the River has evolved alongside the country, serving as a natural landmark and a deep source of inspiration for artists. Art practitioners like Cheo Chai Hiang (b.1946) and Debbie Ding (b.1984) have created compelling visual works that encourage audiences to engage with complex issues surrounding personal and national identity and pressing social concerns like urbanisation.

Analysing the artworks through Henri Lefebvre’s theories on space and Merlin Coverley’s research on psychogeography reveals how Cheo and Ding engage their audiences. They create opportunities for reimagining memories, linking past identities to future aspirations. A key focus is Debbie Ding’s innovative practice of psychogeoforensics, an investigative approach to documenting and mapping fragments of Singapore’s lost heritage. Nevertheless, both artists endeavour to contribute to a deeper understanding of history, culture, and collective knowledge.

Aulia Yeru is an academic, researcher, and artist. Before embarking on his PhD journey, he taught at Intermedia Studio, Telkom University, in Bandung, Indonesia. His works are primarily exhibited in Bandung, Jakarta, and Sydney. Yeru’s artistic endeavours are grounded in the convergence of artistic practice, environmental transformation, and spatial production. Within his doctoral research, he explores the concept of “hydrosocially engaged art,” an approach that aims to illuminate and shape the interplay between the materiality of water and the ever-evolving social dynamics within waterways. This waterway serves as the canvas, laboratory, and participant for exploring the hydrosocial process, where Yeru seeks to unravel the multifaceted connections between water and society.

Fausta Tan is a secondary school educator of history and social studies. He holds a Master’s in Asian Art History from LASALLE College of the Arts, a degree conferred by Goldsmiths, University of London. He is committed to promoting appreciation for Singapore’s artistic heritage among his students by highlighting its artworks and art spaces. Through this endeavour, he aims to demonstrate how memories connect artists, place and community in ways that deepen cultural engagement. His research on the Singapore River, as a symbol in historical and cultural narratives of the nation, has also inspired Fausta to work on an ongoing project with students to create artworks about their emotional well-being.

Images: Cheo Chai-Hiang, 5’X5’ (Rethinking the Singapore River), (2006). Installation, pink neon light. 150 x 150 cm; Aulia Yeru, Aras Putih 10, (2025). Scanned image of 35 mm film immersed in the Cikapundung River, printed on archival paper, 191 x 128 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.

The Australasian Network for Asian Art (an4aa) is a group of researchers including academics and curators from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand working in the field of Asian art and visual culture. The Network and its affiliated mailing list serve as a platform to share research, promote events and exhibitions, foster a scholarly community, cultivate interest, and act as a vehicle for advocacy.