MORRIS, David; MERCADO, Arianna; CHAN, Wing (eds.)
How to Pin Down Smoke: ruangrupa since 2000

How to Pin Down Smoke is an expansive guide to ruangrupa and their singular and multifaceted practice. Formed in Jakarta in 2000 against a background of authoritarianism, economic crisis and youth movements, ruangrupa is an art initiative whose work playfully subverts traditional art- and exhibition-making, offering a living model of collective organisation, sustainable institution-building and ways of relating to one another. Through new commissions, interviews and extensive archival documentation, this publication explores how ruangrupa’s 25-year history expands understandings of “art,” “exhibition” and “publics,” integrating elements of popular culture, media technology and contemporary urban life.

Contributors include Ronny Agustinus, Leonhard Bartolomeus, Melani Budianta, Wing Chan, chitarum, Ade Darmawan, Özge Ersoy, Charles Esche, Nuraini Juliastuti, Abidin Kusno, Umi Lestari, Arianna Mercado, Ugeng T. Moetidjo, David Morris, farid rakun, Gesyada Siregar, Ibrahim Soetomo, Enin Supriyanto, David Teh, The Secret Agents, Mahardika Yudha and Ardi Yunanto. [publishers' note]

Published by Afterall Books / CCS Bard, 2025
Design by Pedro Cid Proença
Essays / Curatorial Studies / Collectives / Politics