This edition of Orbitals took place in Indonesia. The eleven-day trip, from November 5 to 16, 2024, was organized by Krystel Khoury and Felipe Steinberg from Mophradat in collaboration with artist farid rakun (Gudskul). The invited participants were:
Aziz Aissaoui (b. 1993, Tunisia) is an artist and designer, and a member of El Warcha Collectif. His research and creative work delve into the realms of fictional narratives, often inspired by his personal encounters and building processes. Through his interdisciplinary practice, he examines the public sphere from the prism of collectivity and commoning.
Hala Alsadi (b. 1997, Yemen) is a researcher with a background in journalism and media. In her practice, she is interested in exploring archives with a focus lately on music from the Arab world as well as sports.
Rania Atef (b. 1988, Egypt) is a visual artist, and a member of K-oh-llective. In her work, she focuses on forms of labor, care, domesticity, authority, and their intersectional trajectories within social and artistic contexts.
Shayma Nader (b. 1991, Palestine) is an artist, curator, and researcher. Her research looks into anticolonial, anti-disciplinary, and land-centered imaginaries and practices.
During the trip, the group visited art initiatives and met with artists’ communities in Yogyakarta, Jatiwangi, and Jakarta, engaging in conversations around the question of the economy of art, the different ways in which individuals and groups find the means to pursue their artistic and cultural practices, and how that transforms their personal as well as their community’s lives and livelihoods.
In Yogyakarta, Taring Padi introduced the group to their ecosystem and organized a collective woodcarving and food sharing activity. The three-day visit included attending the exhibition of artists Dolorosa Sinaga and Budi Santoso at the National Yogja Museum, meeting members of the urban farming community, Kebun Kali Code, led by Mbak Fitri, as well as SURVIVE!Garage with Bayu Widodo, where the group was welcomed by the community of artists and the Rogo Bolo Nitipraya community. The group also visited the Cemeti Institute for Art and Society as well as the KUNCI Study Forum and Collective, and had conversations with curators Dito Yuwomo and Mira Asriningtyas (Cemeti) and Safyatudina Saja/Dina (KUNCI), as well as Elia Nurvista from Bakudapan Food Study Group.
A six-hour train ride led to the Jatiwangi Art Factory community, including meetings with initiator and curator Arief Yudi, and artists Ismal Muntaha and Arie Syarifuddin and attended the Rampak Genteng – the triennial Ceramic Music Festival organized by JAF.
The final leg of the trip was to Jakarta, where the participants spent time at Gudskul and learned about its ecosystem with artist Alienpang, and met with the Gudskul Studi Kolektif members. They also visited Atelier Ceremai, the Salihara Arts Center, attended the Jakarta Biennale, and engaged in conversations with feminist researcher Melanie Budianta.
During the trip, the participants wrote a collective diary in which they share their reflections, questions, and lessons drawn from and inspired by their experience and the subjects it raised, including colonial violence, ecocide, and the redistribution of collective resources. You can read the diary in English (with some entries in Arabic) here.
We are thankful to farid rakun, Mirwan Andan, and all the artists and people we have met along the way.
Orbitals is implemented as part of the project “Future Acts,” which is partially supported by the Federal Foreign Office, Germany. Fees and costs associated with all Indonesian local participants, facilitators, and interlocutors during this trip were covered separately by Mophradat’s structural funds.
