Hana Tan Hana

Solo Exhibition - 28 May – 28 June, 2016
REDBASE Foundation Indonesia


Dewa Ngakan Made Ardana

Hana Tan Hana explores the complex, ambiguous memory of the 1965 tragedy through the lens of traditional Balinese ontology, a philosophy summarized by the phrase hana tan hana, meaning "it exists, yet simultaneously does not exist." Moving away from rigid binary definitions of historical truth, Ardana Ngakan uses this frame of reference to navigate how the events of 1965 live within individual subjectivity, where the past can be a vivid, traumatizing reality (hana) for older generations and merely a distant myth (tan hana) for younger ones. Rather than contesting official historical records, the exhibition shifts the playing field to the intimate and subjective realm, inviting viewers into the middle ground between existence and non-existence to reflect on how personal trauma, memory, and heritage continue to shape contemporary Balinese identity.