Activist Cosmopolitanism in Taring Padi’s Art: Fostering Cosmopolitan Solidarity for Human Security in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the cosmopolitan solidarity fostered by the artist collective Taring Padi through their art. The group creates artworks that highlight human security issues across Indonesia, showcasing the works both domestically and internationally to raise awareness among global audiences and cultivate a sense of cosmopolitan solidarity aimed at addressing these issues for the benefit of humanity. This study, therefore, aims to analyze how Taring Padi establishes this solidarity by employing cosmopolitanism theory and utilizing a qualitative research method, with data gathered from observation, interviews, and literature review. This paper found that Taring Padi establishes cosmopolitan solidarity by focusing on three fundamental human security issues: the lack of freedom from want, freedom from fear, and freedom from indignity. The group illustrates the absence of these three freedoms in their artworks and invites audiences, regardless of nationality and geographic boundaries, to unite in addressing these human security issues and advocating for the victims, thereby embodying cosmopolitan solidarity. This research contributes to the existing literature on the power of art in international politics and underscores the importance of recognizing non-state actors, such as artists, in the realm of global politics.