Currently, we are a team of three+++: Chita, Grace, and Mitha!
Akmalia Rizqita (b. Jakarta) or better known as ‘Chita’, currently lives and works in Jakarta, Indonesia. She’s particularly fond of organizing and taking care of things in her surroundings—be it physical space, research projects, and exhibitions. In between her daily routine as the gallery manager of RUBANAH Underground Hub, she is also involved in various research projects with Hyphen —, including Proses adalah ketika kita. (Process is when we.), towards Danarto’s biographical publication with Danarto dkk and Hyphen —; As if there is no sun, towards a biography and retrospective of Kustiyah alongside with Sriyani Hudyonoto, Kartika Affandi, and Siti Ruliyati. She was also a member of the curatorial team of “Jakarta Biennale 2021: ESOK”.
Chita believes that RUBANAH has always been a place to experiment and try things that are not possible anywhere else, not only in terms of programming, but also the way we work with people and care for each other in the process.
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Grace Samboh (b. Jakarta) is in search of what comprises a curatorial work within her surrounding scene. She jigs within the existing elements of the arts scene around her for she considers the claim that Indonesia is lacking art infrastructure especially the state-owned or state run as something outdated. She believes that curating is about understanding and making at the same time. Recent research and curatorial works of hers includes Proses adalah ketika kita. (Process is when we.), towards Danarto’s biographical publication with Danarto dkk and Hyphen —; As if there is no sun, towards a biography and retrospective of Kustiyah alongside with Sriyani Hudyonoto, Kartika Affandi, and Siti Ruliyati; “Jakarta Biennale 2021: ESOK”; “Collecting Entanglements and Embodied Histories” a joint venture between Galeri Nasional Indonesia, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Singapore Art Museum, Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and Goethe-Institut (2021-2022).
Grace want’s to challenge idea of a gallery, of a business venture. When one is operating in it, can one think about taking care of each other? She thrives for the new version of RUBANAH to become a way of trying it out!
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Mitha Budhyarto (b. Jakarta) is back in Jakarta! She was a lecturer in Lasalle College of the Arts Singapore. She was awarded a PhD in Humanities and Cultural Studies by the University of London (Birkbeck College, UK) and was living and working in Singapore from 2015 to 2022. Her research has been published and presented at various academic journals and conferences, and she has received numerous grants for both her research and curatorial practice.