NEW YORK, October 15, 2019 — One of Asia’s most important performance artists, Melati Suryodarmo has been creating powerful, immersive performance work for nearly 25 years. In this talk, she discusses her creative journey, philosophy, and artistic practice, shaped by multiple influences from traditional Javanese meditation to Japanese butoh to her study of performance art with Marina Abramović. She appeared in conversation about her artistic career and current projects with Asia Society Vice President of Global Arts & Culture Programs and Museum Director Boon Hui Tan. (1 hr., 23 min.)

This talk was organized in conjunction with the world premiere of Suryodarmo's performance IF WE WERE XYZ, a commissioned work by Asia Society, taking place on October 17 from 3–6 p.m. and October 18 from 5–8 p.m. in the Asia Society Museum galleries.

Suryodarmo’s performances and talk are part of Asia Society's Creative Common Ground, an initiative focused on the commissioning of interdisciplinary works that bring together artists and talents from different disciplines.