Kopiisme community in Indonesia builds art center on plantation land, challenging museum histories

Kopiisme, a cooperative agroforestry initiative in Maduarjo, East Java, Indonesia, has been selected by the CATPC collective for ArtReview's Future Greats 2026 spotlight. The community, led by elder Pak Sa'i, comprises over 150 farmers descended from workers on a former Dutch plantation, managing 100 hectares for coffee cultivation and forest revitalization. They recently discovered their ancestors' forced labor helped fund the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, a history previously unknown to them. In response, they are constructing an art center on their land, shaped by local knowledge and collective memory. CATPC members Ced'art Tamasala, Matthieu Kasiama, and Mbuku Kimpala visited the plantation in 2024 after representing the Netherlands at the 2024 Venice Biennale and refusing to exhibit at Eindhoven's Van Abbemuseum without permission from plantation workers. During the visit, they identified a rock from a colonial building as a symbolic cornerstone of the Stedelijk, highlighting the museum's foundation on plantation profits. In November 2024, Pak Sa'i offered coffee to the Stedelijk Museum director in a public event, but the museum has not responded a year later. The community's efforts aim to reconnect cultural institutions with their origins and restore dignity, with Pak Sa'i noting that no Stedelijk director or curator has ever visited the plantations. A 2024 film by CATPC documents the visit and reflections on commodity value and exclusion from museums.