Borderless: An Introduction of the Visual Art Scene in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

A virtual film screening and conversation with artist Maryanto Beb, artist Elia Nurvista, curator Alia Swastika, artist Mella Jaarsma, and 18th Street Art Center’s Sue Bell Yank
For our first iteration of Borderless, a special membership program featuring quarterly introduction to artist communities around the world, we focus on Yogyakarta, Indonesia (colloquially called “Yogya” or “Jogja”). Though all places have their challenges, Jogja is known for an unusually high concentration of artists and intergenerational self-organized artist communities. Through intercultural dialogue and exchange, we explore the organizational methods employed in this unique city of artist communities and how we might learn from them.
This introduction comes in two parts:

1. The Film. First, enjoy a 17-minute documentary film directed by artist Mella Jaarsma, founder of Cemeti Institute, that explores multiple different artist communities in Jogja, including Cemeti, Bakudapan Food Study group, Mes56, Gegerboyo, and Lir. Explore the streets of the city, pop in on artisanal shops and artist studios, and learn about site-specific projects on the slopes of the Merapi Volcano. This film was commissioned by 18th Street Arts Center exclusively for Borderless and was created in January 2021.
2. The Virtual Dinner/Brunch Gathering. Once you have gotten a taste of the Yogyakarta arts community through Mella’s film, join artist Maryanto Beb, artist Elia Nurvista, curator Alia Swastika, artist Mella Jaarsma, and 18th Street’s Sue Bell Yank on March 25 at 6pm (LA Time)/March 26 at 9am (Jogja Time) as we have a meal together and talk freely about artists communities in Jogja and the cultural strategies of co-organization and co-development that help them thrive. Join us with a dinner/breakfast that feels relevant to your creative community! This event will be held virtually on Zoom.

*This event is exclusive for Borderless members only. Join by making a donation of any amount today and we will send you an access code to the exclusive Borderless portal.
For more information visit our website.