Resituating Colonial Archives / Simpang Susun Arsip Kolonial
22 February 2023 - 7 March 2023
This exhibition at Gudskul in Jakarta, 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.
Participating 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)
Workshops
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.
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.
More information on the exhibition and the participating artists is available in this pdf document, in English and Indonesian.
![A sketch in green, red, yellow and gray lines of Sumatran houses and trees. H.P. Berlage. Schets Balige, [Noord-Sumatra, Indonesië], 22 juni 1923. Collectie Het Nieuwe Instituut, archief BERL 290.317](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsfiles.nieuweinstituut.nl%2Fberl_290_317_crop_84a3b00048.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
