This column called ACI WITH ACCENT is usually published in Indonesian and discusses all things ‘intercultural’. Interculturalism, putting it simply, is nothing else than seeing things from more than just one cultural perspective. We publish this very article in English and try to – literally – help seeing things from another cultural perspective – for those who aren’t in or from Indonesia. 

What’s cooking? Again and again the overall same antisemitism accusations ruangrupa has to face. Although, in fact, the Jakarta-based collective ruangrupa might not even nurture concrete intentions to disseminate any politically negative signals. ACI outlines in several articles why ruangrupa, who masterminded last year’s prestigious documenta festival, got into antisemitism allegations. 

Those allegations do not come from anonymous 'netizens', but top down. President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media in Germany Claudia Roth, documenta boss Andreas Hoffmann, a 133-page report by equidistant experts – all of them are addressing in one way or the other the elephant in the room. The mentioned report even concludes that documenta fifteen “served as an echo chamber for Israel-related antisemitism and sometimes pure antisemitism.” And: Antisemitism-allegations from last year arise again (09/10/2023), as two members of ruangrupa are publicly admonished by the new director of the documenta art festival. 

The PR-blaze ruangrupa ignited back in 2022, during documenta, with opaque communication on their stance on antisemitism, could have been quenched immediately back then.

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Art is in its kernel all about the ability to think dually, to oscillate between varying perspectives

To put it simply, every culture has their own values and doctrine. Accused of antisemitism by German media (a sensitive topic for Germans for historic reasons), ruangrupa decided to make themselves scarce. Unavoidably, a previously minor dismay turned into a campfire for antagonists which would have needed rhetorically brave firemen to be put out. 

Art is in its kernel all about the ability to think dually, to dichotomise, to oscillate between varying perspectives and to hold up a mirror to those you wish to address. And if you are invited to conceive one of the world’s most renowned and oldest art festivals as a fete for the Global South in a Western country, I think it doesn’t hurt to be somewhat apt in those ‘intercultural’ abilities. 

The collective collectively united in a photo | Foto: Der Standard 

Artistically, all critics agree that the people of ruangrupa introduced new alternative schemes of understanding art in the Northern art hemisphere. But as curators – and curators do have to talk, negotiate and convey their ideas rhetorically – ruangrupa missed out on many opportunities. Here’s why:

Leverage

In Indonesia, we do have loads of talk shows. Mostly in the concept of vertical communication. People perceived as worth listening to because of age, status or family background are given full attention to say whatever they want. And then they take the floor flooding us with the forever same verbiage. 

Although this might be dyed in a lot of stereotyping, Germany loves to discuss – consequently, dead-ass seriously and passionately. Sometimes even just for the sake of intellectual swordplay itself. No matter of your stand or your – lets say – age, no one would cut you short with a ‘sok tau lu’ (know-it-all!), returning the scepter to those eligible.

– And that's the exit ruangrupa should have taken to gain leverage. Talking, talking, talking instead of feeling misunderstood. Germany is perhaps indeed THE country of talk shows in television, in art theaters and in academic surroundings. If ruangrupa only wanted, they surely could have been invited to –  lets say – Markus Lanz, Germany's number one chat-show host, similar to Kick Andy or Najwa Shihab in Indonesia. Without being judged, but being asked rhetorically tricky questions, they could have squashed all allegations they faced.

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Asymmetric vocabulary 

I read a newspaper round up the other day about an audience discussion which featured members of ruanrgupa and Taring Padi. In short, the German audience was cross examining the Indonesian panelists, who seemingly were cornered. – Well, that's not surprising! In Indonesia there are no such panel talks where the audience rhetorically disassembles the most renowned person in the room. The clumsy reaction of ruangrupa and Taring Padi, as portrayed in said article: ‘I don't know’ – ‘In Indonesia (...) we don't have the vocabulary for this (...)’.

Yes, the German media (Feuilleton) is a minefield which twists every semantic bit of yours 

To me personally – back to interculturally appreciating and taking everyone as they are – it’s alright if one lacks the vocabulary to name certain things – happens to me all the time. Especially when I want to make a joke, but miss the timing, when that one certain word keeps resisting to pop up in my head. The thing is, the curators of documenta were given vast options to embrace, analyze and perhaps even assimilate with German culture. There is nothing wrong with assimilating as long as it helps you to make yourself heard, making your ideas accessible in the way your addressee can understand them. Some of the ruangrupa members were even invited as visiting professors to a university in Hamburg, and some of them are still said to reside in Germany. In that case, one could know better about how things are, no?

A collective dealing with a collateral image-damage | Foto: Nicolas Wefers, Documenta

In Germany you can even present lewd poems about politicians having zoophile tendencies

Cultural misunderstanding can only be solved through intercultural communication. Yes, the German media (Feuilleton) is – when they are cantankerous towards someone – a minefield which twists every semantic bit of yours. But that's journalism, that's discussion, that's what makes people talk. Everyone – beside those put in focus (ruangrupa).

That's how it is. It is how it is 

In Germany, one can even present lewd poems about politicians having zoophile tendencies and doggy-sex with goats. You wouldn’t have to clandestinely recite those eddy pieces of prose in some cellar theatre – things as such get aired on publicly funded television during prime time in Germany.

Whereas in Indonesia, even a harmless meme about the president's wife can have severe legal consequences. Imagine European artist Hermann Nitsch being asked to do an art performance at ARTJOG, splattering (haram) pig’s blood all over Jogja. Unimaginable, undoable, illegal! And so it is. 

My point is, things are always contextual. What you can demand from an audience depends on where the audience is (locus). As a very simplistic example: Youtubers who target Indonesian audiences. They would usually do a video of them wandering around somewhere in Indonesia, commenting on random things either negatively or positively, and eventually lure thousands of 'netizens' into sharing their sulky or overproud reactions. Take it or leave it, it is how it is.

It is how it is for us, as a small media platform, as well. How dearly we would like to do commentaries on politicians, calling them to account. But, can we? No. Pencemaran nama baik. We have our lawyer checking our articles when necessary to give clearance, although they are harmless. That's how it is.

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Biting the bullet

It takes some bravery to bite the bullet, to face intellectuals who might not be affable. But when you are asked to face the challenge, then why don’t do it? It beggars description to promote diversity on one side, but to blame cultural misunderstandings on the other side. 

Trying to practice what I preach: I’m not being paid by any German entity to expose these opinions of mine. It's a lot more simple: To me, it's about seeing the good things (or if you want it this way: the things you can use to leverage something) in an individual cultural context. In Germany it's perhaps their egalitarian discussion culture. In Indonesia, it's the power of the many young people who live here! And here’s us, trying to ignite discussions among young people (a little bit of both). 

(Marten Schmidt, 13.10.2023, Art Calls Indonesia)