SAW Dialogues 2022 | A&M Generation Gap: Artist-Run Spaces

26 Jan

Ha Dao, Moses Tan, Nindityo Adipurnomo, Ian Tee
By Sara Lau

Screenshot of talk. Clockwise from left: Ha Dao, Managing Editor & Programme Coordinator, Matca, Moses Tan, Enabler, starch, Ian Tee, Associate Editor, Art & Market, Nindityo Adipurnomo, Visual Artist; Co-Founder, Cemeti Art House.

Key points:

Artist-run spaces often emerge as a way to plug a gap within the arts scene.
There are no fixed ideals, models or structures for artist-run spaces.
International collaboration is important to the programming of artist-run spaces.
Sustainability and longevity are prioritised over short-term gains.

‘A&M Generation Gap: Artist-Run Spaces’, which took place on 21 January 2022 from 4.30pm to 6pm as part of SAW Dialogues 2022, highlighted the similarities and differences in the structure, networks and challenges faced across different generations of artist-run spaces in Southeast Asia. The panel featured Ha Dao, Managing Editor and Programme Coordinator, Matca; Moses Tan, Enabler, starch, and Nindityo Adipurnomo, Visual Artist and Co-Founder, Cemeti Art House. The session was moderated by Ian Tee, Associate Editor, A&M.

Here are the takeaways:

Artist-run spaces often emerge as a way to plug a gap within the arts scene. Ha Dao highlighted the dearth of resources for photographers in the arts scene in Hanoi, particularly for those who viewed photography as fine art and not only for commercial purposes. She shared how she herself lacked formal training, and had to seek out education on her own. Noticing this gap is what led to the founding of Matca’s online platform and subsequently its physical space, which also helped to plug a gap by allowing new photographers to gather to access and exchange resources and knowledge for their practices. Nindityo stated how, at the point of Cemeti’s opening some 20 years ago, Jogjakarta did not have much space outside of art schools for students to continue their practice, or a central point of information for contemporary art practices in the region. Cemeti was founded as a direct response to this lack of space, meant for young artists to continue experimenting and allow them to be consistently exposed to the public. In contrast, starch was not founded to intentionally address any gaps and was only meant to be a year-long project. It was only in the process that Moses realised that this space was very much necessary for artists to practise or showcase their works, as well as provide room for further experimentation without limitations. He explains how starch operates on a support-based system, providing what they can for the artists whenever a need arises.

There are no fixed ideals, models or structures for artist-run spaces. All three spaces were built to directly address certain needs, which shifted over time. Nindityo spoke about Cemeti’s initial operations as a gallery space, where they consistently staged month-long solo exhibitions throughout the year and sustained off the profits from artwork sales. It was only in 2016 that they began their residency programme to further facilitate international exchange, and Cemeti evolved from a gallery space to being more of a cultural space and an archive. Later on in the conversation, he brought up how the structures of such spaces are also dependent on the context in which they emerge.

Ha Dao explained that Matca was created as a digital platform and that the physical space only came after. She does not believe that opening a physical space should be the end goal of any artist-run platform, and that a physical location is merely an expansion rather than a progression, or a “nice-to-have, but not a must-have”, in her words. Matca’s physical space is kept as flexible as possible to accommodate their needs, and she cites multi-functional spaces such as Manzi and Work Room Four in Hanoi as inspiration. Moses shared similar sentiments about keeping starch’s space flexible, pointing out that it is not a conventional white cube which allows for the accommodation of different programmes based on the artists’ needs.

International collaboration is important to the programming of artist-run spaces. Ha Dao mentioned two international collaborations that were important to her and to Matca’s operations: Angkor Photo Festival in Cambodia as well as Objectifs - Centre for Photography & Film in Singapore. She talked about how Angkor Photo Festival was one of the few places where she could access resources and workshops when she was beginning to learn about photography, and how they were open to collaboration after Matca was founded. She cited Objectifs as a collaborator and an important driving force of regional collaboration in Southeast Asia. Moses spoke about how starch picked up certain practices from international collaborators like Hidden Space in Hong Kong, such as being generous with the space by handing over the keys to artists. Nindityo said that if the pandemic was not ongoing, he would continue with the international residency. He later noted how he enjoys the possibilities that emerge from artistic experiences, exchanges and dialogue, and that he would rather finance these projects, asserting that he valued knowledge production much more than material output in the form of artworks or exhibitions.

Sustainability and longevity are prioritised over short-term gains. Ha Dao said that her and her fellow co-founders decided from the beginning that they did not want to rely on Matca to pay the bills to avoid compromising their independent positions. She believes that all content should come from them and be in line with their own principles, and revealed that they have turned down opportunities to work with big institutions.

Nindityo said that Cemeti has tried to work on as low a budget as possible, adding that they were initially very careful with monetary support, particularly with government aid as they did not want to deal with the political regime at that point in time. It was only when the residency programme began that Cemeti started to look for other sources of funding, particularly from cultural institutions in Indonesia. Moses spoke about the privilege of not having to pay rent for the physical space starch occupies as it is owned by the family, which he is able to share with fellow artists. He does not actively seek additional funding, in order to allow artists freedom to produce the content they want to. At the same time, starch does not restrict artists from applying for funding on their own.

The conversation was an illuminating session that looked at the realities of operating independent artist-run spaces, and their importance in the arts ecosystem as spaces for artists to network, experiment and develop their practices.

Watch the full recording of ‘SAW Dialogues 2022 | A&M Generation Gap: Artist-Run Spaces’ here:

You can also listen to it as a podcast here:

About the writer:

Sara Lau is a writer with overlapping interests in visual and performing arts, ethnographic narratives and cultural histories. She enjoys writing in all its permutations, particularly poetry and creative non-fiction. In 2019, she graduated from the National University of Singapore with a degree in Sociology and a second major in Southeast Asian studies. By day, she works as a content marketing executive