To Krisna, the presence of a TV culture not only represents the modern condition, but also is the sign of a new hegemony, that being the hegemony of the mass media that in the end is destined to become and instrument for the strengthening of the socio-political sector, and, of course, global capitalism. Because of this, Krisna Murti's use of video in his works not only positions the video film itself as a tool, it also as a method of intervening in the realities occurring and continuing to unfold within the society in which he lives.

In his earlier period of creation, Krisna frequently used material or objects symbolically. To Krisna, things and events always have a meaning and value hidden within them that must be sought out, explored, analyzed, organized and at least re-expressed in a 'different' manner, if not in an entirely 'new' way. In a number of his works, he 'plays around' with the contrasts of binary opposites: fact and fiction; tradition and modernism; personal space and public space; spiritualism and materialism, and others.

In the work Empty Time, he presents a performance involving nine female dancers who are carrying out a ritual dance in front of a king. Krisna took this footage in an actual location within the palace confines of the Surakarta Kraton where the dance was being presented. He has added an interesting narration to this film. The video itself depicts the dance known by the name Bedhoy, which is a traditional ritual dance dating back to ancient times but still much alive and in practice today. This ritual dance is believed to be a dance of greeting in which a spirit or a creature of the netherworld joins in as a tenth dancer. Krisna has edited this footage in such a way that the video presentation takes on a highly exaggerated slow motion affect that is very extreme. The tempo of the actual dance, which is actually very slow, becomes excruciatingly unhurried, so that the concept of a moving picture becomes intensified and more real in the mind of the viewer. Because anyone watching this video will feel induced to follow the movements of the dancers carefully in their minds, this piece becomes a participative instrument for the public.

This piece, Empty Time, like the other video works that Krisna Murti has created, appears designed to give rise to lots of discussion. If seen from one point of view, for example, this work seems to want to convey a discourse about the culture of television watching in Indonesia that has changed all aspects of life - social, political, economic and cultural - into a performance to be watched. At this time, the technology of television seems able to not only record phenomena that is clinical or even supernatural, it has become a world of its own that is becoming increasingly important to the way of life in contemporary society in Indonesia. From another point of view, this video work, with its narration about the ritual being carried out within the dance seems meant to express and take issue with the domination of the male gender continuing within the aristocratic culture of Java.

Born on April 9, 1957 in Kupang, Timor.

Studied at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung (BFA; 1981).
Studied.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1998 "The Growth" video - performance - installation sponsored by Centre Culturel Francaise (CCF), Bandung; "Supper with Flies and Worms" video - performance - installation, West Java Cultural Centre, Bandung.
1999 "Foodstuffs are Ethnic, Never Racist", video-installation, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta.
2000 "boo it yourSELF'" Sound/Video Installation, National Gallery, Jakarta.
2001 "Caring for Mickey" Apsari Gallery, Jakarta, NuArt Sculpture Park, Bandung and Sika Contemporary Art Gallery, Ubud-Bali.
2002 "Wayang Machine", video installation (5 projections), Japan Foundation, Jakarta and Indonesia - France Institute (LIP), Yogyakarta.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1998 "Web Art", ITB - Curtin University (Australia); Bandung - Perth, Australia.
1999 "9th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh", Dakha, Bangladesh.
2000 "7th Bienalle of Havana", Havana, Cuba.
2001 "Unfolding Perspective ARS 01" Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland.
2002-2003 "36 Ideas from Asia, Contemporary South East Asia Art" (organized by Singapore Art Museum) in Germany(Duisberg), Hungary, Rupertinum Museum of Modern Art (Salzburg-Austria), National Museum of Abruzzo (L'Aquilla, Italy).
2003 "15 Tracks : South East Contemporary Art", Organized by Singapore Art Museum, Tama University Gallery, Tokyo (July) and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan (December).

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