Artists as Researchers, a New Perspective on Global Issues through Art

The artist's work reads global issues through art (doc. Finbarr Fallon)

JAKARTA - In recent years, the role of artists is no longer limited to the creation of visual or aesthetic works alone.

Not a few artists now work like researchers observing, collecting data, to interpret social, technological, and environmental phenomena through an artistic approach.

This practice makes art as a medium of reflection as well as the production of knowledge, especially in the Southeast Asian region which is facing rapid changes in various sectors.

Departing from that, the independent curatorial platform RUANG// launched a new publication titled RUANG// Journal on March 25, 2026.

This journal exists as a space for critical writing on contemporary art in Southeast Asia, with a focus on how artistic practices develop as a form of inquiry into issues such as infrastructure, ecology, and systems of knowledge.

The inaugural edition of the journal is published in both online and print formats, involving eight authors from five countries. They review various artists' responses to the interrelated pressures between technological developments, environmental changes, and the transformation of the way knowledge is produced and understood.

A total of 25 artists are the focus of discussion in this edition, including Marwa Arsanios, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Yuki Kihara, Lisa Reihana, to Robert Zhao Renhui.

Their practices include a wide range of approaches ranging from field research related to environmental issues, exploration of speculative media, to studies on industrial infrastructure, surveillance technology, and community-based ecological knowledge.

The launch of this journal also coincides with the increasing global attention to the complexity of the relationship between technology and ecology. Various international initiatives, including the Futures Literacy program from UNESCO, show an impetus to understand the future more critically. On the other hand, scientific research such as human exposome mapping also emphasizes the importance of seeing the environmental impact on human life holistically.

In Southeast Asia, this dynamic is felt more real. This area is one of the global production centers of electronic infrastructure, as well as facing the ecological consequences of these activities. The development of smart cities, rapid urbanization, and the sustainability of historical extraction routes form a complex social and environmental landscape.

For many artists, this situation is not just a global issue, but part of their daily experience that affects their creative process. This is also the basis for the existence of RUANG// Journal as a space for discussion and reflection.

"In Southeast Asia, artists often work directly within the context they are researching - whether it's an industrial network, a digital system, or a natural landscape. This approach shows that artistic practice can be a form of relevant and contextual knowledge," said Natasha Doroshenko Murray, founder of RUANG// and editor-in-chief of the journal.

Through the essays included, this journal presents a cross-disciplinary approach that blurs the boundaries between art and research. Some artists work with scientists or are directly involved in environmental research, while others use speculative narratives and experimental media to criticize technological systems, labor, and infrastructure.

Contributors in this inaugural edition include Yu Ke Dong, Annabelle Tan Kai Lin, Kenneth Wong See Huat, Elena Wise, Jaron Lua Jie Long, Wenceslaus Mendes, Chiara Serpani, as well as Victoria Hertel and Isa Pengskul.

Published free of charge without advertising, RUANG// Journal reflects an effort to expand access to a more critical and inclusive discourse on art.

Instead of being promotional, this publication places art as a space of reflection that can help understand the ongoing social and ecological changes in the Southeast Asian region.