Arts Schoolaboratory

Presentation by Arts Schoolaboratory members Tony Evanko, Koyo Kouoh, and farid rakun.

Arts Schoolaboratory is an international collaborative of nine contemporary art institutions that focus on the pedagogical or “learnalogical” challenges imposed by their specific contexts. Arts Schoolaboratory’s goal is to develop a highly adaptable, open-source model for information-sharing that organizations can incorporate, modify, and improve based on their own needs. Education is a key factor in the global culture of artistic production, and as such is based on traditional methods and worldviews that are often hostile to the autonomous thinking necessary for critical practice. By devising an exchange platform, Arts Schoolaboratory interrogates this condition and offers the affiliated organizations as resources for (re)producing knowledge practices.

KUNCI CULTURAL STUDIES CENTRE
KUNCI Cultural Studies Centre (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) works outside of disciplines to expand their boundaries. The collective’s membership is open and based on shared interest in creative experimentation, speculative inquiry, and the intersection of theory and practice. Since its founding in 1999, KUNCI has focused on critical knowledge production and sharing through media publication, cross-disciplinary encounters, research-action, artistic intervention, and vernacular education within and across community spaces. KUNCI Cultural Studies Centre is represented by Syafiatudina.

AL MA’MAL FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art (Jerusalem, Palestine) a non-profit organization based in Jerusalem’s Old City, aims to promote, instigate, disseminate, and facilitate art production. Since 1997, Al Ma’mal has organized exhibitions and creative encounters. Its film screenings, artist talks, public readings, and performances are intended to raise public awareness and understanding of contemporary art and creative practice. Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art is represented by Aline Khoury.

RAW MATERIAL COMPANY
RAW Material Company (Dakar, Senegal) is a center for contemporary art and education, committed to using art as a tool for social and political transformation. It began in 2008 as a mobile art initiative and has since established RAW Base, its permanent space for artist talks, symposia, and lectures on such diverse topics as urbanity, literature, film, politics, and diaspora. The Company also runs the Raw Gallery exhibition space and the international Raw Residency program. Future plans include building a library and a living archive of contemporary African art. RAW Material Company is represented by Koyo Kouoh.

PLATOHEDRO
Platohedro (Medellín, Colombia) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to artistic experimentation, human rights, cultural research, and collaboration. Founded in 2004, it works to democratize the creative process and spread knowledge by offering audiovisual and communication technology training, workshops, and networking opportunities. Platohedro is represented by Lina Maria Mejia Álvarez Munoz (AKA Lina Mejía Álvarez).

COOPERATIVA CRÁTER INVERTIDO
Cooperativa Cráter Invertido (Mexico City, Mexico) is a collective established in 2011. Its members include Andrés Villalobos, Dasha Chernysheva, Diego Teo, Juan Caloca, Jazael Olguín Zapata, Sari Dennise, Andrés Riley, Waysatta Fernández, Rodrigo Treviño, Aline Hernández Rodriguez, and Yollotl Alvarado. With a background in visual arts, history, and media, the collective runs an independent editorial network, an events and exhibition space, and a multidisciplinary workshop for sharing tools and ideas. Cooperativa Cráter Invertido is represented by Aline Hernández Rodriguez.

CASA TRES PATIOS
Casa Tres Patios is a contemporary art center (Medellín, Colombia) founded on the belief that artistic practices and contemporary art can expand the way we see, think, and interact in the world. Its mission is to challenge, create, and share knowledge by fostering imaginative, thoughtful, and inspiring art projects. Casa Tres Patios is represented by Tony Evanko.

PICHA
PICHA (Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo) is an art center that was founded in 2006. Active in visual arts and urban culture, its objective is to offer local artists and cultural activists a place where they can learn, work, interact with each other, and develop new artistic strategies. PICHA manages art projects, facilitates exchanges with international artists, and works to develop cultural policies that promote the arts, culture, and rural women artists. The art center has a graphics studio, an audiovisual recording studio, a silkscreening workshop, and a residency program. PICHA is represented by Patrick Mudekereza.

RUANGRUPA
ruangrupa (Jakarta, Indonesia) was established in 2000 by a group of artists in Jakarta. A nonprofit organization, ruangrupa enlists artists, along with social scientists, politicians, engineers, and other interested thinkers, as cultural critics who comment on issues affecting Indonesian urban communities. ruangrupa also produces collaborative art projects such as exhibitions, festivals, workshops, and publications. ruangrupa is represented by farid rakun.

ASHKAL ALWAN
Ashkal Alwan, The Lebanese Association for Plastic Arts (Beirut, Lebanon) is a nonprofit organization committed to producing and circulating a range of creative and intellectual endeavors.