ruangrupa (which loosely translates as ‘a space for art’) is an artist’s initiative and collective started in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2000. As a contemporary art ekosistem, it seeks to analyse and mediate ideas of visual art, public art, performance art, and video art, working toward a common critical sensibility. ruangrupa’s artistic practices have culminated in forms of art events and workshops, exhibitions, art writing and criticism workshops, festivals, even parties and karaokes. It functions as a contemporary hub and non-profit organisation, having built research archives, an art lab, radio station, several art festivals, and a journal among others. ruangrupa curated Sonsbeek ’16: TRANSaction, and in 2019 was appointed as Artistic Director of Lumbung 1 (also more popularly known as documenta fifteen (2022)). ruangrupa doesn’t work on memberships, so the number of its members is never fixed, despite naturally some names have stayed longer than others. It is an interdisciplinary team, composed of artists, architects, and social scientists among others. ruangrupa, through the establishment of Gudskul (in 2018, together with two other Jakarta-based collectives: Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara), practices lumbung (meaning rice barn in Indonesian), where a common pool system is created and all resources—tangible and intangible—are collected and divided proportionally according to needs. (Image credits: Nicolas Wefers)