Currently, we are a team of four: Grace, Lukas, Mitha, and Totty!
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considers the claim that Indonesia is lacking art infrastructure especially the state-owned or state run as something outdated.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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Marsilam Sun Lukas (b. Jakarta) studied art formally at the Jakarta Institute of Arts. In terms of working, Sun Lukas doesn’t limit himself to one specific role. He makes songs, he was the coordinator of online visual art exhibition “Rupa Papua”, the initiator of a community based art project titled “Environhealth”, and involved in a number of art projects with Galeri Saku collective. Sun Lukas is interested in the variety of exhibition-making that perpetually calls for different working approach, which enticed him to work with RUBANAH Underground Hub as a gallery manager from 2022.
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Mitha Budhyarto (b. Jakarta) lives and works in Jakarta as an educator, writer, and curator. Her interest revolves around the fluid and multi-faceted aspects of pedagogical approaches in the arts. Currently, she is the Gallery Director of RUBANAH Underground Hub, as part of a team that values sincerity and open-mindedness in the running of an art gallery. She has over a decade of experience in teaching and researching at Higher Education institutions, as well as curating independently. Mitha received her PhD in Humanities and Cultural Studies from the University of London, Birkbeck College (UK).
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Totty (b. Jakarta) currently lives and works in Jakarta. Since 2023, they have been working with RUBANAH Underground Hub as an assistant gallery manager. As their career revolves around art, they found sparks in managing—be it the space, people, and artwork itself, as a fun way to express and fulfill their interest while sharpening their skills in art management, which they studied as a student. Outside of their ‘underground’ life, their hobby in drawing and crafting—such as sewing and crocheting, led them to get involved in a various projects as an artisan, including TACTIC’s artwork at ARTJOG MMXXII: Arts in Common – Expanding Awareness (2022) and ArtDept x Citra Sasmita for Timur Merah Project; A Place Further Than The Universe by IKEA (2021).
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Akmalia Rizqita (b. Jakarta) or better known as ‘Chita’, is an art worker who worked with RUBANAH since its first iteration in 2018. In between her daily routine as the former gallery manager of RUBANAH Underground Hub, she is also involved in various research projects with Hyphen—. She was also a member of the curatorial team of “Jakarta Biennale 2021: ESOK”.
Chita believes that RUBANAH has always been a safe space to execute things that might not be 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. In 2024, she decided to pass the baton and start a new chapter. Nevertheless, you will still see her around!