Gudskul these days: why solidarity economy is more than economy + solidarity

08/27/2026 06:00 pm 08/27/2026 07:30 pm Australia/Melbourne Gudskul these days: why solidarity economy is more than economy + solidarity
In this sharing session, Jakartans Ade Darmawan and farid rakun from the artists’ collective ruangrupa, and the collective of collectives Gudskul, will share what everyday self-organising looks like at Gudskul today. Rather than presenting finished models, they will reflect on how organising and daily negotiations around work, care, learning, failures, conflicts, resources, maintenance, and collective decision-making gradually and continuously reshape the organisation itself.

From this perspective, a solidarity economy is not simply about alternative finance or cooperative ownership. It emerges from the continuous practice of organising life together, where economy becomes inseparable from education, governance, care, and long-term relationships. 

The conversation will touch on Gudskul's ongoing transformation into a cooperative, the evolution of its educational programmes, the continuing development of Lumbung 2 beyond documenta fifteen, and the early thinking behind Lumbung Hunian as an experiment in collective living / housing.

About ruangrupa

ruangrupa is a Jakarta-based collective established in 2000. It is a non-profit organization that strives to support the idea of art within urban and cultural context by involving artists and other disciplines such as social sciences, politics, technol- ogy, media, etc, to give critical observation and views towards Indonesian urban contemporary issues. ruangrupa also produces collaborative works in the form of art projects such as exhibitions, festivals, art labs, workshops, research, as well as books, magazines, and online-journal publications.

As an artists’ collective, ruangrupa has been involved in many collaborative and exchange projects, including participating in big exhibitions such as Gwangju Biennale (2002 & 2018), Istanbul Biennial (2005), Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Brisbane, 2012), Singapore Biennale (2011), São Paulo Biennial (2014), Aichi Triennale (Nagoya, 2016) and Cosmopolis at Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2017). In 2016, ruangrupa curated TRANSaction: Sonsbeek 2016 in Arnhem, NL.

From 2015-18, ruangrupa co-developed a cultural platform Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem together with several artists’ collectives in Jakarta, located at Gudang Sarinah warehouse, Pancoran, South Jakarta. It is a cross-disciplinary space that aims to maintain, cultivate and establish an integrated support system for creative talents, diverse communities, and various institutions. It also aspires to be able to make connections and collaborate, to share knowledge and ideas, as well as to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and innovations. The results of these joint collaborations are open for public access—and presented with various exhibitions, festivals, workshops, discussions, film screenings, music concerts, and publications of journals.

In 2018, learning from their experience establishing Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem and together with Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara, ruangrupa co-initiated GUDSKUL: contemporary art collective and ecosystem studies (or Gudskul, in short, pronounced similarly like “good school” in English). It is a public learning space established to practice an expanded understanding of collective values, such as equality, sharing, solidarity, friendship and togetherness.

Event Details

Date:
27 August 2026 at 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue:
Pavilion, Level 8, Building H, Caulfield campus
Categories:
Fine Art

Description

In this sharing session, Jakartans Ade Darmawan and farid rakun from the artists’ collective ruangrupa, and the collective of collectives Gudskul, will share what everyday self-organising looks like at Gudskul today. Rather than presenting finished models, they will reflect on how organising and daily negotiations around work, care, learning, failures, conflicts, resources, maintenance, and collective decision-making gradually and continuously reshape the organisation itself.

From this perspective, a solidarity economy is not simply about alternative finance or cooperative ownership. It emerges from the continuous practice of organising life together, where economy becomes inseparable from education, governance, care, and long-term relationships. 

The conversation will touch on Gudskul's ongoing transformation into a cooperative, the evolution of its educational programmes, the continuing development of Lumbung 2 beyond documenta fifteen, and the early thinking behind Lumbung Hunian as an experiment in collective living / housing.

About ruangrupa

ruangrupa is a Jakarta-based collective established in 2000. It is a non-profit organization that strives to support the idea of art within urban and cultural context by involving artists and other disciplines such as social sciences, politics, technol- ogy, media, etc, to give critical observation and views towards Indonesian urban contemporary issues. ruangrupa also produces collaborative works in the form of art projects such as exhibitions, festivals, art labs, workshops, research, as well as books, magazines, and online-journal publications.

As an artists’ collective, ruangrupa has been involved in many collaborative and exchange projects, including participating in big exhibitions such as Gwangju Biennale (2002 & 2018), Istanbul Biennial (2005), Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Brisbane, 2012), Singapore Biennale (2011), São Paulo Biennial (2014), Aichi Triennale (Nagoya, 2016) and Cosmopolis at Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2017). In 2016, ruangrupa curated TRANSaction: Sonsbeek 2016 in Arnhem, NL.

From 2015-18, ruangrupa co-developed a cultural platform Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem together with several artists’ collectives in Jakarta, located at Gudang Sarinah warehouse, Pancoran, South Jakarta. It is a cross-disciplinary space that aims to maintain, cultivate and establish an integrated support system for creative talents, diverse communities, and various institutions. It also aspires to be able to make connections and collaborate, to share knowledge and ideas, as well as to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and innovations. The results of these joint collaborations are open for public access—and presented with various exhibitions, festivals, workshops, discussions, film screenings, music concerts, and publications of journals.

In 2018, learning from their experience establishing Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem and together with Serrum and Grafis Huru Hara, ruangrupa co-initiated GUDSKUL: contemporary art collective and ecosystem studies (or Gudskul, in short, pronounced similarly like “good school” in English). It is a public learning space established to practice an expanded understanding of collective values, such as equality, sharing, solidarity, friendship and togetherness.