Gets to the heart of what is unique about Indonesian art.  Exploring the work of established and emerging artists in Indonesia’s vibrant art world, this book examines why so many artists in the world’s largest archipelagic nation choose to work directly with people in their art practices. While the social dimension of Indonesian art makes it distinctive in the globalized world of contemporary art, Elly Kent is the first to explore this engagement in Indonesian terms. What are the historical, political, and social conditions that lie beneath these polyvalent practices? How do formal and informal institutions, communities, and artist-run initiatives contribute to the practices and discourses behind socially engaged art in Indonesia? Drawing on interviews with artists, translations of archival material, visual analyses, and participation in artists’ projects, this book presents a unique, interdisciplinary examination of ideologies of art in Indonesia.    “[The book] proves to be a key instrument in understanding the Indonesian art scene’s rich collectivity.” ― ArtAsiaPacific "Elly Kent’s new book  Artists and the People: Ideologies of Art in Indonesia  adopts a sociological approach to understanding the practice of art in, specifically, Indonesia and its history and tradition." ― Asian Review of Books “ Artists and the People examines important art practices today that have escaped critical readings. In this way, [both] the books are distinguished from previous Indonesian art discussions that do not have a strong contextual ground in Indonesian cultural phenomena… Collectively, the books invite Indonesian scholars to theorise the overlooked social or humanities thinking of Indonesia’s public intellectuals or art intelligentsia.” ― ArtLink “I picture Elly Kent’s Artists and the People: Ideologies of Art in Indonesia as a collection of tightly woven braids, skilfully crafted by bonding art histories, ethnographic observation, and contemporary discourse that chart interaction as well as distinct paths of artistic ideologies related to the kinds of relational, participatory, and socially engaged art practices in Indonesia…. [Overall, this] is a significant scholarly contribution to socially engaged art discourse within and beyond Indonesia…. Kent’s intellectual achievement attests to her rigorous labour of reading, translating, and contextualizing primary texts from Indonesia’s prominent art thinkers across time, not to mention her sustained and empathetic engagement (or entanglement!) with the many facets of Indonesian contemporary art scenes.” ― Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia “In this book, Elly Kent endeavours not only to comprehend the prevailing trends in Indonesian art, but also to grasp the intricate relationship between art and politics…. In the present context, in which democratic institutions seem precarious globally, Kent’s analysis provides significant insights. Kent shows us how cultural work can engage with questions of representation and participation without falling into either populist oversimplification or elitist dismissal….  This book addresses wider discussions occurring in disciplines such as architecture, visual anthropology, and social movement studies – wherever activists are engaging with participatory methodologies.” ― Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia Elly Kent  is a visual artist, writer, translator, and researcher. She is also the editor of the  New Mandala .