IDN Chat Vol. 02: Art is Collective and Collaborative

IDN Chat Vol. 02 held last 28 February 2020 invited M. G. Pringgotono (Director of Gudskul Studi Kolektif), M. Sigit Budi (Art Collective Compound Manager), and Ajeng Nurul Aini (ruangrupa Manager) to discuss the meaning of “Art Collective Movement”. Before jumping down into it more deeply, we first talked about the Gudskul itself: what Gudskul was and how to make it sustainable.

Gudskul was a public learning space created by three art groups in Jakarta: ruangrupa, Serrum, and Graphic Huru Hara (GHH). Since the early 2000s, the three had been actively working in the realm of contemporary art using collective and collaborative work models. In 2015, the groups eventually agreed to make an independent education ecosystem. Pringgotono mentioned, “We offer equality, sharing, solidarity, friendship, and togetherness values.” This learning system was intended to make more initiators of arts and culture, of course. 

Gudskul Studi Kolektif believed that working collaboratively and collectively was one of the ways to make Gudskul sustainable since it also enabled us to learn theoretically and practically with many credible educators from across disciplines. "For us, the idea of sharing and working together is important for the sustainability of art and cultural work. In addition, this will sharpen our perspectives on openness, pluralism, cooperation, and experimentation as well," Sigit explained. 

Art was really one of the things out there that made us able to breathe freely after undergoing a busy week. Doing art collaboratively with other agents of art (the combination of various aspects, such as philosophy, sociology, and also history) could enrich our point of view about the art itself.