Resituating Colonial Archives
23 February-8 March 2023
Opening: Thursday, 23 February 2023, 19:30 GMT+7 (IG Live and IG Q&A)
Artist Talk: Saturday, 25 February 2023, 16:00 GMT+7 (Hybrid – Offline and Zoom)
https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-resituating-colonial-archives-artist-talk-551690821097
Curatorial statement
This exhibition presents eight works by researchers as well as architecture- and artist-collectives from different parts of Indonesia that investigate the nation’s built environments and their entanglement with the colonial past and present. Developed under cross-institutional, international workshops organized by the Nieuwe Instituut, Gudskul, and arsitekturindonesia.org, the works draw on, and at times depart from, archival materials relating to Dutch (ex-colonial) architecture legacies and cultures that form part of the National Collection of Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning. Exploring multiple approaches for resituating colonial archives, the exhibition interweaves practices and perspectives that collectively seek to widen forms of archival availability, question the circulation of materials, and underscore digital solidarity.
On the collection and collaboration
The National Collection of Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning, hosted by the Nieuwe Instituut, contains photographs, drawings, maps, letters, and other types of documents on Dutch (ex-colonial) architecture legacies and cultures, among which built environments in Indonesia. These archival records are well preserved in the institute’s storage facility, but their physical accessibility, especially to Indonesian communities, is limited due to its location in Rotterdam. Taking this geographical constraint not only as a critical issue but also a potential starting point for cultivating forms of collaboration, the Nieuwe Instituut, Gudskul, and arsitekturindonesia.org arranged a series of workshops between December 2022 and January 2023 to provide the selected participants with resources, tools, and networks to access and activate the collection. Altogether, the workshops and exhibition address the question of archival accessibility while testing the boundaries of our connected colonial past, opening avenues for sustained collaboration between these networks of institutions, collectives, and individuals.
In the initial Workshops Resituating Colonial Archives, invited participants, selected by Gudskul and arsitekturindonesia.org, were joined by practitioners from Indonesia and the Netherlands to exchange knowledge on and further discuss the multifaceted ways of researching and resituating colonial archives. The Workshops intercrosses practices and perspectives to address the question of archival accessibility while testing the boundaries of our connected colonial past, opening avenues for sustained collaboration between these networks of institutions, collectives, and individuals.
Artists
Albert Rahman Putra (Solok)
Bangkit Mandela & Bardha Gemilang (Tangerang Selatan)
Endira F. Julianda & Kevin Trikusumo Febriansyah (Bandung)
golCAR / Angga Cipta, Ario Fazrien, Degi Bintoro, Ervancehavefun, Indras Oktafia, Muhammad Rifqi Fajri (Jakarta)
Kecoak Timur / Moch. Krismon Ariwijaya, Muhammad Agid Antaris Sinal, Rifandi Dapril Pranawa (Sidoarjo)
Rahmadiyah Tria Gayathri (Palu)
SkolMus / Armin Septiexan, Frengki Lollo, Ifana Tungga, Remon Nara Kaha, Sherly Atty (Kupang)
Yasmin Tri Aryani (Jakarta)
Curatorial Team
Carolina Pinto (Nieuwe Instituut)
Delany Boutkan (Nieuwe Instituut)
Gesyada Siregar (Gudskul)
Rifandi Nugroho (Gudskul)
Robin Hartanto (arsitekturindonesia.org)
Setareh Noorani (Nieuwe Instituut)
Creative Producer Nieuwe Instituut
Ina Hollmann
Programme Manager Nieuwe Instituut/Agency
Joyce Hanssen
Exhibition Design & Production
Serrum Arthandling / Fathan Mubin, Hamzah, M. Sigit Budi S., Rahmat, R.M. Herwibowo, Winanda Suciyadi
Stuffo & GudRnD / Sopyan Triatmaja, Jiwo Sutarno Putra, Mohamad Aldino
Graphic Design
Garyanes Yulius
I Gede Trisma Dwipayana
Documentation
Haviz Maha
Opang Darmawan
Administration & Finance Gudskul
Leni Setiawati
Workshop Contributors
Abidin Kusno
Amanda Pinatih
Ayos Purwoaji
Clara Stille-Haardt
Golnar Abbasi
Hetty Berens
Iswanto Hartono
Melle van Maanen
Special Thanks to
Aric Chen (Artistic and General Director Nieuwe Instituut)
Avianti Armand & Setiadi Sopandi (Board of Curators, arsitekturindonesia.org)
Farid Rakun & JJ Adibrata (Project Advisor, Gudskul)
Hengky, Iko, Muslim, Rahmat (Security Team, Gudskul)
M.G. Pringgotono (Headmaster, Gudskul Collective Study)
Noer (Venue Maintenance, Gudskul)
Supri, Adi, Daus (Cleaning Service Team, Gudskul)
Wacil Wahyudi (Venue Coordinator, Gudskul)