ABOUT US
Studio Kalahan is an independent cultural organisation founded in Yogyakarta since 2001. Established from the art practice of Heri Dono, the first Indonesian artist to break into the global art scene in the early 1990s. Studio Kalahan grows as a production space and artistic exploration, consistently open to exchange across generations and multidisciplines. As it evolves, from 2020, Studio Kalahan has transformed into a cultural composite to not only be active in art production, but also in archive, education, and reinforcement to the local art ecosystem.
Today, Studio Kalahan became a place of a hundred thousands collection of art archives, including photo, document, dairy, ephemera, sketch, video record (VHS), voice record, newspaper article, magazine, exhibition catalogue, essay, and installation artwork. Those collections are not only to record a wondrous history of Heri Dono’s creative process as one of the fine art maestros in Indonesia, but also as historical evidence of Indonesian contemporary art since the 1980s. We believe these archives contain cultural values, priceless knowledge and worth to share to the next generations as education resource, research, and inspiration.
HISTORY
Studio Kalahan was founded in 2001 by Heri Dono. The original building was a Dutch Police residence in 1933. Later it became the residential home of Mahatmo Siswoyo, also known as Ndoro Momo, who was a relative of Yogyakarta’s 8th Sultan Hamengku Buwono. The name ‘Kalahan’ was inspired by the French ‘Salon des Refusés’ of 1863, which translates as ‘Exhibition of Rejects’. This show displayed artworks that were rejected by the Jury of the official Paris Salon. The name Kalahan also invokes a Hollywood movie, ‘Dirty Harry’ (1971). The story is about a rogue police officer named Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood. In Indonesian, the word ‘kalahan’ literally means ‘loser’. The name was chosen, as we believe that imperfections, mistakes and failures are blessings and essential parts of the creative process.
STAFF
Founder:
Heri Dono
Electronic Assistant:
Teguh Hanira
Archivist:
Ayu Astuti
Program Coordinator:
Adinda Ayu
Program Staff:
Pipo Pritandari