SPECIAL PROJECT

The Special Project program aims to present works based on their participatory nature as artistic projects in order to navigate the relationship between art and society. By involving the public as an integral part of presented works, the program is not only a strategy for bridging the gap between art and society, but also an exploration of artistic approaches rooted in shared experience in highlighting everyday matters in society and culture.

ARTJOG 2025 will present the three artistic projects from Murakabi Movement (Yogyakarta), ruangrupa (Jakarta), and Devfto Printmaking Institute (Bali), to delve into the ideas behind the workings of artistic practice and the direct involvement of the public to the work. Interactively, discussions and workshops will be held as a complementary element to the sustainability and depth of discussion surrounding the works on display.

JOIN
DEVFTO Printmaking Institute
DEVFTO Printmaking Institute uses the name 'institute' to distinguish its institution and activities amidst the presence of other printmaking studios that are beginning to flourish in Indonesia. The establishment of DEVTO is to educate artists, the art public and collectors in the field of fine arts in Indonesia, whom, on average, are still quite far from the development of the graphic arts genre itself. DEVFTO Institute is dedicated to increasing resources that can encourage the development of graphic art practitioners. The institute's efforts to share knowledge are carried out through regular in-studio workshops, graphic art exhibitions, websites and social media. Apart from that, DEVFTO also opens the door for collaboration with artists and various groups to realize commission projects, research on paper materials, development of printing devices, publishing to artist residency programs.

Devy's career in the graphic arts environment itself has been going on for a long time. As an artist and facilitator, his debut began with the establishment of Studio Red Point in Bandung, 1993. This studio was the only one of its kind at the time, following the decline of Decenta which was founded in 1973. In 2020, Devy joined Black Hand Gang printing studio in Ubud, Bali, before deciding to initiate the establishment of the DEVFTO Printmaking Institute independently until now. His work and dedication in the graphic arts for no less than 30 years has gained recognition from the contemporary art community in Indonesia, resulting in his acknowledgement as the only master printmaker in this country.
MORE
Murakabi Movement
Tanah Air βeta is the title of Murakabi's presentation and manifesto in this exhibition. Tanah Air (homeland), for Murakabi, is not a frozen heritage, but a shared living space that must be developed and re-evaluated. The term 'βeta' also refers to generation and irony. 'βeta' - the second letter of the Greek alphabet - is the name for the generation born between 2025 and 2039, after the Alpha generation. The βeta generation will live in a world dominated by artificial intelligence technology, which must redefine their relationship with the earth, water and each other. But βeta also means an 'unfinished version': Indonesia after 1945 for Murakabi is an uncertain direction due to constantly changing policies. Tanah Air βeta is thus not a work of art full of imagery, but a metaphor for a space for living and learning together. Murakabi's artistic practice does not stop at the beauty of appearance, but the practice of studying and rebuilding the relationship between Indonesian people and their land (and) water.

One of Murakabi's ecological practices in this exhibition is the presence of element of trasah watu (a road paving technique from the past) construction. This is a 'technological' practice that is right for paving rural roads that allows water to continue to seep in and various plants, especially medicinal plants, to grow in between the gaps. The beauty of this trasah watu is certainly not from its appearance, but from its attitude of yielding (ngalah), namely the ability of humans to bow to the rhythm of nature. In a circular shape, trasah watu reminds us of the natural cycle that honours the preservation and sustainability of life. According to the record, this country has more than 74 thousand villages, and this environment is the closest to the 'newer era' in the future, when the progress of Tanah Air βeta is not only measured by progress in technology and standards in the industrial world.
MORE
ruangrupa
In 2015, ruru established the Institut ruangrupa (Ir.), an institutional initiative aimed at addressing new and increasingly complex challenges in both art and non-art education in Indonesia. Formal education has become more instrumental, often detached from the lived environments that surround it. The institute was envisioned as a non-formal "school" space where, through artistic practices and exposure to digital technology, a more contextual and meaningful learning spirit might be revived. Institut ruangrupa would later become one of the founding seeds of Gudskul, established by ruru alongside Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara in Jakarta in 2018.

Taman-ruru is a learning-based model of art-making. Its name references Perguruan Taman Siswa, an educational movement founded by Ki Hajar Dewantara in Yogyakarta in 1922. This model of collaboration between educators and learners was previously presented at the Aichi Triennale 2016, under the title RURU Gakko (ruru School) in Aichi, Japan. The learning approach is non-hierarchical and discussion-based, focused on engaging with central issues through group study. The exhibition space is transformed into a classroom, space, or learning garden that centers rooted, yet often overlooked, aspects of local context. Learning may happen indoors or outdoors, depending on what each situation calls for.

Eleven participants selected through ruru's open call will engage in a tailored learning process designed to respond to their needs. At the end of this period, each participant is expected to produce at least one work resulting from this shared inquiry. Their works will be presented during ruru's 25th anniversary celebration, taking place in Jakarta from 3-5 October 2025.
MORE