When Archives are Presented in the Art Gallery

In the practice of contemporary art in Indonesia in recent years, there is a growing trend related to the presence of archives. In this trend, archives are no longer viewed as “stored objects” on the shelves of libraries or museums. Archives also no longer serve as a source of literature for research that is accessed when only needed. In recent years, there have been many art exhibitions that show archives as their main exhibition object and interestingly, such exhibitions are not only initiated and made by museums or curators, but also by artists in the context of becoming works of art. Observing this trend, this article attempts to describe what shifts have occurred in relation to the position of archives in the art world, and how the presence of archives in various exhibitions can be seen and interpreted. Tis article makes use of research conducted qualitatively, by utilizing literature review. In the process of analysis, this article draws on Hal Foster’s idea of archival impulse. Keywords: archives; archival impulse; art exhibition; contemporary ar