Heri Dono: Fermentation of the Mind at M+

Press a foot pedal in a Level 2 gallery at M+ this summer and a whole classroom of pale, faceless heads will bow to you at once, muttering in a warped, half-human drone. That eerie little machine is Heri Dono: Fermentation of the Mind — a focused presentation of one of Indonesian art's most quietly political works, on show at M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District (西九文化區) from 30 May to 25 October 2026. Here is what it is, who made it, and how to plan a visit.

What is 'Fermentation of the Mind'?

It is a single, room-sized kinetic installation that Heri Dono made in 1992–1993, and it is genuinely unlike anything else on show at the museum. According to M+, the piece sets out nine old-style wooden school desks in three neat rows, so the space reads immediately as a classroom. On each desk sits a white fibreglass head. Step on a pedal and the heads nod gently in unison while a distorted, chant-like sound fills the room.

The effect is playful and faintly sinister at the same time — part school assembly, part malfunctioning ritual. M+ says the work was inspired by Indonesia's sociopolitical landscape in the early 1990s, and in particular by the way the state shaped public opinion and independent thought through propaganda during the Suharto era. A classroom of heads all nodding to the same tune is not a subtle metaphor, and it is not meant to be.

The installation is now part of the M+ Collection, and this presentation is built around it rather than around a sprawling career retrospective. If you have only seen Dono's brighter, cartoonish paintings, the restraint here — grey desks, closed-eyed heads, a mechanical hum — can come as a surprise.

Who is Heri Dono?

Heri Dono (born 1960) is one of Indonesia's most internationally recognised contemporary artists. Over a career spanning four decades he has shown widely across Asia, Europe and beyond, and he is often cited among the most significant artists to emerge from Southeast Asia in the modern era.

His signature move is to fuse tradition with technology. M+ notes that Dono draws on the rich Javanese tradition of wayang kulit — shadow puppetry — and pairs it with recycled electronics to give his sculptures movement and sound. The results tend to take human or animal form, often with a mischievous, cartoon-like quality, while carrying pointed commentary on history, politics and society. Fermentation of the Mind is an early, sharp example of that method: puppet-theatre logic, wired up and set loose in a gallery. For more context on his practice, the Heri Dono profile on Ocula is a useful starting point.

What you'll see at M+

This is a compact, single-work show rather than a big-ticket blockbuster, and that is part of its appeal — it rewards slow, close looking. Expect to spend 15 to 30 minutes with the installation, longer if it is quiet and you can watch the heads cycle through their nodding routine more than once. Because the piece is interactive, how busy the gallery is will shape your experience, so an early weekday visit is your best bet for space to take it in.

It is worth pairing with the rest of the museum. Dono's show runs at the same time as Wael Shawky's "I Am Hymns of the New Temples" at M+, another single-artist presentation on the same dates, and it follows a strong run of solo shows in the building — including the survey we covered in our guide to Lee Bul at M+. For the full programme, our round-up of M+ exhibitions in Hong Kong tracks what else is on, and our pick of the best art exhibitions in Hong Kong this summer sets it in the wider season.

Dates, admission & opening hours

The show has a fixed run and closes on 25 October 2026. The definitive details — including any timed-entry rules and the exact gallery layout — are on the official M+ exhibition page. Here are the essentials.

Is it free? We can't confirm a fixed price for this show. M+ presents it in its Level 2 galleries and points visitors towards general admission rather than a separately priced special-exhibition ticket, and members and patrons get unlimited access to all galleries and exhibitions. Because admission arrangements at M+ do change, treat the museum's own admission and tickets page as the final word before you travel.

How do you get to M+?

M+ sits on the harbourfront in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and the easiest way in is by train. Take the MTR to Kowloon Station (Exit C1 or D1) or Austin Station (Exit B4 or B5), then walk through the district to the waterfront — roughly 10 to 15 minutes either way. The Airport Express also stops at Kowloon Station, which makes M+ an easy detour straight off a flight.

Once you are there, the district rewards lingering: the Art Park, the harbour promenade and the wider museum are all a short stroll apart, so a single trip across the harbour can fill an afternoon. If you are mapping out a longer culture day, our guide to the best museums in Hong Kong lines up the city's other big collections.

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