125,660 Specimens of Natural History is a project by Anna-Sophie Springer and Etienne Turpin. The Jakarta iteration, 125.660 Spesimen Sejarah Alam, is realised in partnership with the multi-arts center Komunitas Salihara and the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense/Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI/MZB), in cooperation with Schering Stiftung and with additional support of the Goethe-Institut and the British Council.
This exhibition presents works that refer, or are tributes, to the trails left by Alfred Russel Wallace (British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist) who's recognised as one of those figures who defined the Theory of Evolution. 125,660 SPECIMENS OF NATURAL HISTORY challenges participating artists to retrace the footsteps of A. R. Wallace, to reinterpret and to respond to Wallace’s works through new works. This cross-sector (between art and science) exhibition features works by 25 artists and scientists from Indonesia and abroad, also materials from LIPI’s collection, including 18th and 19th century negative plates documenting the Indonesian archipelago. This is the first time this extensive collection will have been made available to the public. The exhibition opens from 16 August — 15 September 2015 at Komunitas Salihara Gallery.