In August 2025 I travelled to Indonesia with researchers from the Void Art Centre in Derry. The trip was a great opportunity as there are so many points of resonance between my research and what both Jatiwangi Art Factory (JAF) and VOID Derry are do in practice. I am particularly interested in how communities and ecosystems can be nurtured in ways that resist the pernicious effects of unfettered corporate interests. JAF were truly great hosts and introduced us to an amazing array of people and projects, demonstrating how intimately engaged they are with local, regional and global communities. On our travels up and down and around Majalengka province, I took notes, photos and videos that I ruminated on when I returned home. This digestion of the experience informed the drawings presented here, which helped me to make make sense of the organised chaos we had been invited into, and consolidate a range of thoughts that I am carrying forward in my work. For all of the differences in context between Indonesia and Ireland there are many shared concerns and lessons to learn. The generosity and applied knowledge of those we met has really helped me to consider how systemic issues can be creatively offset and generative alliances constructively nurtured.
(Image credit: Simon Mills)
Joey O'Gorman 