Ruangrupa Interview: Horizontal Organisation and Alternative Art in Post-New Order Indonesia
In a 2012 interview featured in Afterall Journal 30, Ade Darmawan, the director of the Jakarta-based artists' collective Ruangrupa, discusses the organization, which was established in 2000 by artists such as Ronny Agustinus and Oky Arfie. Ruangrupa aims to create alternative art infrastructures through initiatives like exhibitions, the journal Karbon (which began in 2002), writing workshops, and the OK Video festival. Darmawan characterizes Ruangrupa as a 'contemporary sanggar' lacking mentors and organized into various divisions. He elaborates on the 'bottle cap philosophy' and the transition from producing objects to conducting research. He notes the lack of state support for art infrastructure and considers Jakarta's chaos vital for Ruangrupa's endeavors, emphasizing collective knowledge sharing. The founders stem from families that distanced themselves from wealth during the New Order.
Key facts
- Ruangrupa founded in 2000 in Jakarta by Ronny Agustinus, Oky Arfie, Ade Darmawan, Hafiz, Lilia Nursita, Rithmi Widanarko.
- Collective functions as outlet for visual culture studies through exhibitions, journal Karbon (launched 2002), writing workshops.
- OK Video festival is a biennial run by Ruangrupa's Video Art Division.
- Jakarta 32°C biennial for university students started in 2004.
- Ruangrupa is divided into Art Lab, Support and Promote, Research and Development, Video Art Division.
- RAIN Artists' Initiative Network includes members from Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Mali, India.
- Darmawan describes Ruangrupa as a 'contemporary sanggar' without mentors.
- Interview conducted mainly via email and Yahoo! Messenger.
- Darmawan uses 'bottle cap philosophy' (nail as bottle opener) as metaphor for alternative initiatives.
- Ruangrupa sees Jakarta's disorder as necessary condition for its work.
- Founders come from families that chose not to be rich during New Order.
- Knowledge transaction within collective compared to beehive or ant colony.
Entities
Artists
- Nuraini Juliastuti
- Ade Darmawan
- Ronny Agustinus
- Oky Arfie
- Hafiz
- Lilia Nursita
- Rithmi Widanarko
- Hendro Wiyanto
- Melani Budianta
- Haema Sivanesan
- Indra Kusuma
- Reza Afisina
- Mirwan Andan
- Ardi Yunanto
- Art Spiegelman
- David Carson
Institutions
- Ruangrupa
- Afterall
- Karbon
- RAIN Artists' Initiative Network
- Cemeti Art House
- North Art Space
- National Gallery Jakarta
- Gang Festival Sydney
- OK Video festival
- Jakarta 32°C
Locations
- Jakarta
- Indonesia
- Yogyakarta
- Bandung
- Surabaya
- Semarang
- Cirebon
- Jatiwangi
- West Java
- Java
- Sydney
- Australia
- Mexico
- Argentina
- South Africa
- Brazil
- Mali
- India
Sources
- Afterall —