Gudskul (Contemporary Art Collective and Ecosystem Studies) is a public learning space established in 2015 by three Jakarta-based art collectives: ruangrupa, Serrum, and Grafis Huru Hara (GHH). After being immersed within the realm of contemporary art for nearly twenty years, we formed an ecosystem to practice and expand the understanding of collective values—such as equality, sharing, solidarity, friendship, and togetherness.
A vital part of Gudskul’s activities is the regular one-year course. In it, participants build collective knowledge by becoming part of our ecosystem. Subjects are not taught, but developed together with the participants. Every subject therefore is different in its approach. Every day is a challenge. Every interaction is unique. Every space matters.
Space, in our understanding, is a constant work-in-progress. It will never be perfect. Through a subject called Praktik Spasial (spatial practice), we investigate the importance of space for collective contemporary art practice. We mostly use our context, Jakarta, if not Indonesia, as an inspiration. In some cases, we scrutinize our own space.
Gudskul, Praktik Spasial, 2020.
[in order of appearance]
Sol Cai protests Gudskul’s existing environment by rendering bare the discomfort she experienced as a woman within it.
Laksmi Lilu Herlambang illustrates her long-term fascination with seating by investigating how people sit in Gudskul on an everyday basis.
Ratih Raditi attempts to realize her concern about the inclusiveness of mental illness in art. Ruang Sejenak (temporary space) is an imagination to take a space currently used by RURU Kids (ruangrupa’s art initiative for children) and transform it into a space to heal, hide, and reflect.
Ahmad Hilal uses memes and punk-ing popular figures to comment on the t-shirt designs and ad campaign about Jakarta’s early 2020 flooding. He reappropriates netizens’ endless occupation of the footballer M. Salah (“salah” means mistake, in Bahasa Indonesia) to reflect on the process of finger-pointing and blaming in disaster mitigation.
Duta Adipati relates Kali Maja, considered to be one of the most polluted rivers in the city, back to Gudskul by putting their respective waters under a microscope. Microbial differences between Gudskul’s water and Kali Maja’s lies in the availability of Spiroket (in the former) and Shigellosis and E. Coli (in the latter).
Gusmarian reflects back on his past collective experience practicing on a traditionally owned plot of land in Koto Lamo village, Kampar Kiri Hulu, Riau province, where they built a cultural house (which burned to the ground in 2019) and planted coffee.
The subject Praktik Spasial is coordinated by farid rakun, who also edited and translated this contribution.
Video editor: Kathleen Malay.
Background Music: “Kereta Tak Berhenti Lama” by Senyawa.
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This contribution derives from a presentation given by farid rakun at Nottingham Contemporary on November 8, 2019. A video recording of the presentation is available here.
Architectures of Education is a collaboration between Nottingham Contemporary, Kingston University, and e-flux Architecture, and a cross-publication with The Contemporary Journal.
Gudskul (Contemporary Art Collective and Ecosystem Studies) is a public learning space established in 2015 by three Jakarta-based art collectives: ruangrupa, Serrum, and Grafis Huru Hara (GHH).
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