Kevin van Braak & Ipeh Nur
Silence would be treason (2023)
The installation by Kevin van Braak and Ipeh Nur explores the practices of oil extraction, with a specific focus on Shell’s operations in Indonesia. It highlights the colonial origins of these practices and critically examines Shell’s sustained profitability, despite the far-reaching consequences of its actions.
Ipeh's series of canvases, titled Lautan Api/Vuurzee/Sea of Fire, is based on archival photos that document the history of oil extraction in Indonesia, starting with the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, which later merged with Shell. During the Indonesian War of Independence, Pangkalan Brandan in West Java, an oil-producing area where Shell conducted its first drilling in 1885, was a major battleground. The Dutch aggressors considered this city of vital importance and in an act of resistance, access bridges were destroyed. On August 13, 1947, local oil workers collaborated with the Indonesian People's Army to set the city and oil refinery on fire, turning Pangkalan Brandan into a sea of fire for three days. This incident is described by Indonesian writer and journalist Mochtar Lubis in his song Scorched Earth Brandan (Brandan, Scorched Earth).
Meanwhile, the request by American geologist Richard H. Hopper to explore and drill for kerosene in Riau (North Sumatra) was approved, as evidenced by a letter from Deputy Foreign Minister H. Agus Salim, which can still be found on Chevron's (formerly Texaco and Caltex) Facebook page. The continuous extraction of oil has resulted in massive pollution. In 2018, PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (PCI) was identified as the company producing the most hazardous waste. Additionally, the local population has resorted to illegal drilling practices, using makeshift oil refineries that pose a significant risk of explosion and have devastating consequences for the environment and health.
Kevin's series of canvases, titled Keep Out of Prison, focuses on the financial and violent aspects associated with Shell's oil extraction. The artwork depicts scenes of environmental activists being expelled from the building during Shell's annual shareholders' meeting in London. The top executives of the oil company urged investors to reject new goals for reducing CO2 emissions, leading to clashes. The batik canvases feature hand-stamped traditional batik patterns as backgrounds, as well as newly designed geometric patterns inspired by the Shell logo. The fifth batik in the series portrays Nigerian writer and activist Kenule "Ken" Saro-Wiwa, a member of the Ogoni community whose land was exploited by Shell for crude oil extraction over several decades. Saro-Wiwa founded MOSOP (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People) and peacefully resisted Shell and the complicity of the former Nigerian military dictatorship. In 1995, he was unlawfully executed. Saro-Wiwa's leadership played a crucial role in forcing Shell to leave Ogoniland, and his activism continues to inspire environmental movements and advocates for minority rights. The background pattern of Saro-Wiwa's batik shirt, worn during a gathering, is repeated on the canvas.
In addition to their canvases, Kevin also created sarongs and large canvases using three stamps to create background patterns. These elements shape the installation, and with the use of ropes and bamboo, a tent is created to resemble small, illegal mines in the forests of South Sumatra.
The title of Ipeh's work, Sea of Fire, alludes to a line in Mochtar Lubis' battle song, "Brandan becomes a sea of fire" (Brandan becomes a sea of fire). Kevin's work, Keep Out Of Prison, takes its title from one of Saro-Wiwa's poems. The overarching title of the installation, Silence Would Be Treason, refers to a line in one of Saro-Wiwa's poems and is also the title of an anthology of his final works.
Kevin van Braak (1975, Netherlands) is a sculptor who centres his works around politically and ideologically problematic issues. Recently he has been focusing on the visibility and invisibility of power in buildings and how our historical consciousness manifests itself behind it. Kevin van Braak uses sculptures, events and performances to restore and transform these ideological images into metaphors for political ideologies and personal stories. His works were featured in international spaces such as Framer Framed Amsterdam, Sonsbeek 2016 Transaction, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade and Galeria Quadrado Azul Lisboa.
Ipeh Nur (1993, Indonesia) bases her works on daily life issues and her personal experiences. She participated in several exhibitions such as Women, Art & Politics (2017), FCAC, the WOW Fest Melbourne, Beyond Masculinity (2016) and Matters (2018). For this last exhibition, Ipeh Nur travelled throughout the Netherlands. Her travels culminated in a site-specific commissioned artwork which is a wall piece in the public hallways of the Tolhuistuin.
Ipeh's series of canvases, titled Lautan Api/Vuurzee/Sea of Fire, is based on archival photos that document the history of oil extraction in Indonesia, starting with the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij, which later merged with Shell. During the Indonesian War of Independence, Pangkalan Brandan in West Java, an oil-producing area where Shell conducted its first drilling in 1885, was a major battleground. The Dutch aggressors considered this city of vital importance and in an act of resistance, access bridges were destroyed. On August 13, 1947, local oil workers collaborated with the Indonesian People's Army to set the city and oil refinery on fire, turning Pangkalan Brandan into a sea of fire for three days. This incident is described by Indonesian writer and journalist Mochtar Lubis in his song Scorched Earth Brandan (Brandan, Scorched Earth).
Meanwhile, the request by American geologist Richard H. Hopper to explore and drill for kerosene in Riau (North Sumatra) was approved, as evidenced by a letter from Deputy Foreign Minister H. Agus Salim, which can still be found on Chevron's (formerly Texaco and Caltex) Facebook page. The continuous extraction of oil has resulted in massive pollution. In 2018, PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (PCI) was identified as the company producing the most hazardous waste. Additionally, the local population has resorted to illegal drilling practices, using makeshift oil refineries that pose a significant risk of explosion and have devastating consequences for the environment and health.
Kevin's series of canvases, titled Keep Out of Prison, focuses on the financial and violent aspects associated with Shell's oil extraction. The artwork depicts scenes of environmental activists being expelled from the building during Shell's annual shareholders' meeting in London. The top executives of the oil company urged investors to reject new goals for reducing CO2 emissions, leading to clashes. The batik canvases feature hand-stamped traditional batik patterns as backgrounds, as well as newly designed geometric patterns inspired by the Shell logo. The fifth batik in the series portrays Nigerian writer and activist Kenule "Ken" Saro-Wiwa, a member of the Ogoni community whose land was exploited by Shell for crude oil extraction over several decades. Saro-Wiwa founded MOSOP (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People) and peacefully resisted Shell and the complicity of the former Nigerian military dictatorship. In 1995, he was unlawfully executed. Saro-Wiwa's leadership played a crucial role in forcing Shell to leave Ogoniland, and his activism continues to inspire environmental movements and advocates for minority rights. The background pattern of Saro-Wiwa's batik shirt, worn during a gathering, is repeated on the canvas.
In addition to their canvases, Kevin also created sarongs and large canvases using three stamps to create background patterns. These elements shape the installation, and with the use of ropes and bamboo, a tent is created to resemble small, illegal mines in the forests of South Sumatra.
The title of Ipeh's work, Sea of Fire, alludes to a line in Mochtar Lubis' battle song, "Brandan becomes a sea of fire" (Brandan becomes a sea of fire). Kevin's work, Keep Out Of Prison, takes its title from one of Saro-Wiwa's poems. The overarching title of the installation, Silence Would Be Treason, refers to a line in one of Saro-Wiwa's poems and is also the title of an anthology of his final works.
Kevin van Braak (1975, Netherlands) is a sculptor who centres his works around politically and ideologically problematic issues. Recently he has been focusing on the visibility and invisibility of power in buildings and how our historical consciousness manifests itself behind it. Kevin van Braak uses sculptures, events and performances to restore and transform these ideological images into metaphors for political ideologies and personal stories. His works were featured in international spaces such as Framer Framed Amsterdam, Sonsbeek 2016 Transaction, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade and Galeria Quadrado Azul Lisboa.
Ipeh Nur (1993, Indonesia) bases her works on daily life issues and her personal experiences. She participated in several exhibitions such as Women, Art & Politics (2017), FCAC, the WOW Fest Melbourne, Beyond Masculinity (2016) and Matters (2018). For this last exhibition, Ipeh Nur travelled throughout the Netherlands. Her travels culminated in a site-specific commissioned artwork which is a wall piece in the public hallways of the Tolhuistuin.