Becoming an Active Subject: Women's Art Collective Eco-Artivism for Ecological Sustainability in Indonesia

Ambar Alimatur Rosyidah; Dhiya Sahara Ulfa; Hermin Indah Wahyuni

doi:10.31091/mudra.v39i2.2688

Becoming an Active Subject: Women's Art Collective Eco-Artivism for Ecological Sustainability in Indonesia

Authors

Ambar Alimatur Rosyidah Departement of Communication Science, Faculty of Social Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University
Dhiya Sahara Ulfa Departement of Communication Science, Faculty of Social Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University
Hermin Indah Wahyuni Center of Environmental Studies, Gadjah Mada University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v39i2.2688

Keywords:

eco-artivism, actor-network theory, ecological sustainability, ecofeminism, ecological communication

Abstract

This study explores the eco-artivism of women's art collectives for ecological sustainability by looking at actor-networks, eco-art as a non-human actor, and women's art collective negotiations. In Indonesia, eco-artivism is used to raise ecological awareness and strengthen socio-environmental protests in the ecological crisis. To explain the relationship of ecological sustainability in the artistic works of women's art collectives, we underline the connection between ecofeminism and Actor-Network Theory (ANT). We used a case study method with the Perempuan Pengkaji Seni (PPS) community, an art collective of female artists, workers, and researchers based in East Java, Indonesia. We find that the eco-artivism of women’s art collectives is an attempt to make women and nature become active subjects. These efforts can be seen in three resulting themes: the PPS network as a women's art collective, eco-art from the scars left by natural disasters to the impact of industrialization, and the negotiation of PPS as a women’s art collective for environmental sustainability.

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List of Resource Persons/Informants

Amalia, Fatwa (2000), teacher and illustrator, interview on 30 June 2023 at Cemeti-Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta.

Gelar, Ambawani (1997), performance artist, researcher, and writer, interview on 30 June 2023 at Cemeti-Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta.

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Ramadhanita, Shalihah (1998), researcher and art curator, founder of the Perempuan Pengkaji Seni. interview on 22 September 2023 at Sekolah Pascasarjana, Yogyakarta.