Abidin Kusno, Politik Ekonomi Perumahan Rakyat & Utopia Jakarta (Yogyakarta: Penerbit Ombak, 2012).
farid rakun, conversation, retrieved from memory, July 25, 2024; Abidin Kusno, Jakarta: The City of a Thousand Dimensions (Singapore: NUS Press, 2023).
The title of this piece, “Building Ideas from the Middle,” is the literal translation of “Ing Madya Mangun Karsa,” the middle part of the educational trilogy coined by the Father of Indonesian Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara, via the establishment of Perguruan Tamansiswa. See “Berdirinya Perguruan Tamansiswa,” Tamansiswa Pusat, ➝; and Edward Ridwan, “Makna Ing Ngarsa Sung Tuladha, Ing Madya Mangun Karsa, Tut Wuri Handayani,” detikSulsel, May 2, 2023, ➝. Coincidentally, at the time of writing (July 2025), ruangrupa is staging a work at ArtJog 2025 in Yogyakarta, entitled Perguruan Tamanruru, riffing on the original Yogyakarta-born Perguruan Tamansiswa. See “ruangrupa - Special Project ARTJOG 2025,” posted August 26, 2025, by ARTJOG, YouTube, ➝.
Seno Gumira Ajidarma, “Dimensi Ruang: Kisah-kisah Jakarta,” in Affair: Obrolan Tentang Jakarta (Affair: Conversations About Jakarta) (Yogyakarta: Buku Baik, 2004).
“Krismon” is an Indonesian term referring to the “monetary crisis” that happened in Indonesia during the Asian crisis of 1997–98. See Takao Fukuchi, “Inflationary Burst and Free Fall of the Indonesian Economy during the Krismon Period—A Vicious Circle of Real and Monetary Aspects,” The Developing Economies 38, no. 3 (September 2000): 257–307, ➝.
Ardi Yunanto, ed., Fixer: Exhibition of Alternative Spaces & Art Groups in Indonesia (Jakarta: North Art Space, 2010).
For an exploration of this time, see Abidin Kusno, “Whither Nationalist Urbanism? Public Life in Governor Sutiyoso’s Jakarta,” Urban Studies 41, no. 12 (2004); reprinted in The Appearances of Memory: Mnemonic Practices of Architecture and Urban Form in Indonesia (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010).
M. Cohen, “Easing Labour’s Pain,” Far Eastern Economic Review, January 29, 1998, 17.
Rakyat literally means “people,” or “citizen.” Pro-rakyat is a position signaling an egalitarian stance that belongs to something (as opposed to power), in this case the mass media.
Kampung literally means “countryside,” or “village,” and in this instance is used to refer to urban villages. For more on kampung, see Fani Rachmita and Deliani Siregar, “In Jakarta’s Urban Villages, Women AreMoving Mobility Forward,” Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), December 2018, ➝.
A vernacular Indonesian term, derived from the Dutch vrijman (free man), preman refers to a position, often violent, of necessary evils. The question is always: necessary for whom? See “Preman (Indonesian gangster),” Wikipedia, ➝.
See the collection of essays by Joshua Barker on Bandung (which applies to Jakarta) which is now available as a book. Joshua Barker, State of Fear: Policing a Postcolonial City (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2024).
Such as the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), a non-governmental organization (est. 1997) that works with marginalized urban communities. See UPC website, ➝.
See David Bourchier, “Crime, Law and State Authority in Indonesia,” in State and Civil Society in Indonesia, ed. Arief Budiman (Monash Papers on Southeast Asia, no. 22, 1990), 177–214. For an immediate report and reflection, see: Onghokham, “Gali-gali dan Masyarakat Kita,” Tempo, May 4, 1983.
On Prabowo Subianto's murderous past, see for example Ryan Grim, host, in conversation with Allan Nairn, “‘America’s Fair-Haired Boy,’ Notorious Mass Murderer, on Brink of Indonesian Presidency,” Deconstructed podcast, February 17, 2024, ➝.
Serrum is an art collective focused on art and education based in Jakarta, established in 2006. The name “Serrum” is derived from the combination of the words “share” and “room,” which, when joing together mean “sharing room.” Serrum focuses on issues related to education, socio-politics, and urban themes, using a presentation approach that combines art and education. See Serrum website, ➝; Grafis Huru Hara (GHH) is a graphic artist collective from Jakarta initiated in 2012. GHH emphasize their practice on methods of exploration, experiment, and education, using print as their ultimate medium. See “Grafis Huru Hara,” Gudskul, ➝.
“Values” here refer to ruangrupa’s lumbung values, consisting of humor, generosity, being locally anchored, independence, regeneration, transparency and sufficiency, among others. For more on lumbung and its values, see “Glossary,” documenta fifteen, ➝.
Derived from kampung, meaning “village,” or “rural,” kampungan refers to a quality resembling provincial, plebeian.
