2026 TAF:Tianzhuo Chen x Siko Setyanto "Ocean Cage"

6.15 (Mon.) 12:00 Paid Member Pre-sale

6.22 (Mon.) 12:00 Official On-sale

-- Deep under the sea lies a destiny-defying summoning of struggle, devotion and redemption.

“Baleo! Baleo!” – the cry signaling fellow fishermen that a whale has been spotted transforms the theatre space into an alluring world where the traditional hunting ceremony is no longer a lived myth, but a contemporary narrative reexploring the relationship between humanity and nature

Inspired by the centuries-old whaling heritage still practiced in Lamalera, a coastal village in Indonesia known as the land “left behind,” Ocean Cage creates a world reminiscent of a whale’s belly, the immense ocean, the human subconsciousness, and the ancient harmony to address urgent issues concerning solidarity and spirituality as well as economic coexistence and ecosystems.  Here, the ocean is both threatening and a source of blessing – though the gift has its limits and cannot be exploited endlessly.  

Since commercial whaling was banned in 1986 due to declining whale populations and animal conservation concerns, Lamalera has remained one of the few communities still using traditional harpoons and ropes to hunt sperm whales.  In this village of 2000 people, fishermen undertake their missions at the risk of their lives.  Rather than a gesture of humans conquering nature, the whaling tradition in Lamalera is more like a spiritual quest that redefines human beings’ existence within the universe.  In our contemporary world where the tradition is fading alongside the endangered species, Ocean Cage offers a narrative that restores this long-lost awareness.

As physically strenuous as a real life-or-death struggle in the open sea, Ocean Cage is an immersive performance of highly sensorial and immersive experience.  Its visually striking setting features living installations, an island of sand, a large sail unfurled during the performance, live traditional instruments, and video containing filmed footage of on-site materials – such as the whale-hunting rituals and voyages – as well as CGI animated figures and images.  Meanwhile, taking on different roles including the ancestor , the deity, and the fisherman, Javanese dancer and choreographer Siko Setyanto is the solo performer whose presence juxtaposes the screen and the fluid stage.

Following Siko Setyanto, the audience walks around the performance space as if being summoned to dive into the subconscious world of myth, animalistic presence and the ever-present conflict with the mindset of modernity.  In this marine-like universe created by visual artist and director Tianzhuo Chen – known for his complex, hypnotic performances spanning multiple disciplines – the ocean becomes as immense as a dark trap, where humans struggle to find balance in coexistence.  Live music by Balinese duo Kadapat and Javanese singer Nova Ruth further evokes a sense of oneness.  It is not a historical look back at a fading tradition, but a forward-looking vision reflected through ancient eyes. 

With its premiere in Berlin, Ocean Cage has toured to Lisbon, Utrecht, Brussels, Bergen, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Munich, Lausanne, Shanghai, Kyoto and Tokyo. However, the journey had long begun.

The fishermen sail to the unknown, staying true to ancestral beliefs while waiting for a giant marine mammal to emerge.  As the audience walks into the theatre, Ocean Cage takes us on an equally adventurous journey into the porous essence of water, fisherfolk, ballads, breezes and spirits, reconsidering the interdependent relationships across species and how we can (re)understand the more-than-human justice. 

Tianzhuo Chen

Some may know him as Asian Dope Boys, while others praise him as an alchemist of the arts—Tianzhuo Chen is an undefinable artist who challenges existing boundaries and ventures across disciplines.

Born in Beijing, China in 1985, Chen graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Graphic Design and later received an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, UK.  The training in visual techniques did not confine him; instead, he has consistently pursued various forms of “liveness” in his artistic practice, combining performance, installation, video, and photography to create a unique language that is hypnotic, ritualistic, sensorial, and evocative. 

Dwelling on a liminal world between everyday life and illusion, his works are a chemical mixture of elements extracted from pop symbols, club culture, traditional myths, and on-site experiences.  In this world, the audience is invited into a fully sensory and immersive experience intensified by material and non-material allures—the latter including sound, music, lighting, and a nearly ecstatic atmosphere. 

However, the trance-like liveness is not intended for one to get lost, nor does it encourage viewers to simply decode hidden magic.  Instead, it is an immediate encounter that reflects on the absurdity of life and death, offering a profound meditation on existence that resonates long after the initial emergence.   

Following the founding of Asian Dope Boys in 2015—a collective dedicated to the integration of art, music and live dance performances— Chen presented the milestone solo exhibition and performance TRANCE at M Woods Museum, Beijing in 2019.  The exhibition features a 12-hour durational performance that later toured to Kampnagel (Hamburg 2022), Komische Oper (Berlin 2023), Dark Mofo (Tasmania 2023), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam 2024), and Southbank Centre (London 2025).  Recent solo exhibitions include Ocean Cage (Song art museum, Beijing, 2024), Illuminated Spirits (Tank Shanghai, 2023) The Dust (Dark Mofo, Tasmania, 2021),The Shepherd (Kyoto Experiment, Kyoto, Japan, 2021), His other notable theater works include Ksana (2019), An Atypical Brain Damage (2018), and Ishvara (2017).
 

In Ocean Cage, Chen Tianzhuo furthers his journey to the marine myth.  The performance draws on the whale-hunting heritage in Lamalera, Indonesia, and features Indonesia dancer and choreographer Siko Setyanto.  Known for his versatile physical vocabularies spanning classical, jazz, ballet, and contemporary dance, Siko also co-created choreography for Chen’s TRANCE and PHYSIS.

Siko Setyanto

Siko Setyanto is a dancer and choreographer from Jakarta, Indonesia. He chose dance as a means of expression, opening up the opportunity to work extensively in multidisciplinary arts. Siko began his training at the age of nine with Wied Sendjayani at the Sanggar Maniratari, Solo. The diversity of Indonesian culture in which Siko grew up and the opportunity to participate in jazz and ballet training as a child provide a strong foundation for Siko's dance and choreographic vocabulary. Siko founded the DRKR Kolektif as a medium for the exchange of information about contemporary dance, a network of dancers from Aceh to Papua, and as a training center for dancers and to support young choreographers. In mid-2020, he co-founded Dansity Dance Company, which is dedicated to the setup of a professional contemporary dance company in Jakarta. He currently works as a dancer and choreographer with Eun Me Ahn Company in South Korea and regularly with Gabber Modus Operandi. He has worked with Tianzhuo Chen on the productions TRANCE and PHYSIS, where he was responsible for the development of the choreography in addition to his role as a dancer/performer. He has been a member of the Jakarta Arts Council Dance Committee from 2020 - 2023.

KADAPAT

Uncompromising and intense, Bali-based duo Kadapat consisting of I Gede Yogi Sukawiadnyana and I Gusti Nyoman Barga Sastrawadi is one of the best hidden talents in Bali's promising music scene, inviting listeners to get to know the Millennial youth from Bali's suburbs through their new self-titled album released in August 2022. Kadapat combines idiosyncratic resonances and references that transform into unexpected, but unique sound developments. They play with a kind of "hybrid identity" embedded in urban culture, technology, Balinese cosmopolitanism and traditional culture.

Nova Ruth

Nova Ruth Setyaningtyas is a singer, musician, and activist based in Indonesia. Nova Ruth is the co-founder of Arka Kinari: a floating cultural platform that takes the form of a 70-ton sailing ship on a mission to foster resilience to climate change and reconnect people with the sea. Arka Kinari derives its name from the Latin word arka, a vessel signifying “to hold off or defend”, and the Sanskrit word kinari, representing a half-human, half-bird musician, who is the guardian of the tree of life. Today, Nova Ruth sails with Arka Kinari in Indonesian waters, merging messages and methods. She performs atop a traditional schooner ship that carries tales of climate resilience and solutions. In her performances, Nova Ruth primarily sings in Javanese lyrics and melodies, firmly believing that genuine emotions can transcend language barriers more effectively than any language that exists.

Her first music project, the conscious rap duo Twin Sista performed in contexts as diverse as prisons, cheesy shopping malls, poetry festivals and punk gigs across her native Indonesia. As a solo performer, Nova Ruth spread her poetry and raps wider, traveling to Australia in 2008 at the invitation of Gang Festival. Nova is now part of the Barcelona-based AV project Filastine, where she sings, raps and plays drums on stages from Cairo to Paris to Tokyo. Her work with Filastine includes a pair of videos that address cultural and ecological frictions, winning critical acclaim and an award from the United Nations OCHA. Despite being on tour nearly half of every year Nova continues to dedicate much of her time to projects within Indonesia, Nova opened a cafe & cultural space called Legipait in her hometown of Malang, Java, where she organizes art expositions, micro-concerts, and readings. Nova worked for years with Engage Media, a social justice and environmental video site for the Asia Pacific.