Gudskul Art Collective and Ecosystem Studies (or Gudskul for short, pronounced “good school” in English) is a collective of collectives based in Jakarta, Indonesia, comprised of Grafis Huru Hara, ruangrupa, and Serrum. Since 2018, Gudskul, has focused on working with art collectives to study and teach collaborative and sustainable practices through experimental dialogue and experience-based learning.

Knowledge Garden Festival placed on display Gudskul’s playful and collaborative way of working, their process of engaging with creative communities across Toronto, and invites audiences to join-in through art-making activities, workshops, and social gatherings. A concentration of events took place daily from October 22 to 30, 2021.The physical display of the Knowledge Garden Festival and its events cumulatively emphasized sharing and the exchange of knowledge, resources, and artworks — making visible the principles for generating and sustaining collective existence. The notion of sustaining collective existence built on Gudskul’s use of lumbung, an Indonesian word and concept, that translates in English to “rice barn,” and is described by Gudskul as “a collective pot or accumulation system used in rural areas of Indonesia, where crops produced by a community are stored as a future shared common resource and distributed according to jointly determined criteria.” The practice of lumbung has guided Gudskul’s engagement with Toronto art collectives as they produced and disseminated a workbook, Collective as School, to unveil the values, economic, and material circumstances under which each collective operates. The workbook was then augmented by online monthly meetings known as Majelis (an Indonesian term denoting a form of assembly) that acted as a forum for collectives across Toronto and in Jakarta to exchange knowledge and consider shareable and sustainable resources in the development and presentation of the exhibition.

AGYU commissioned the Knowledge Garden Festival led by Gudskul and supported by Younger Than Beyoncé, who collectively liaised and hosted the majelis. The art collectives and individuals who collaboratively produced this exhibition included Diasporic African Womyn Art collective (DAWA), Department of Public Memory, Jane Street Speaks, LAL and Unit 2, The Pavilion, Reuben ‘Beny’ Esguerra and New Tradition Music, and the plumb; artists and curators Golboo Amani, Barbara Balfour, Emelie Chhangur, Abidin Kusno, Lisa Myers, and Joel Ong; and various York University student groups and Organised Research Units such as the York Centre for Asian Research and Sensorium: Centre for Digital Art and Technology (AMPD). Curatorial and artist collectives Teabase, Aisle 4, Gentrification Tax Action, and Sister Co-Resister participated in the workbook and preliminary meetings. Gudskul’s Knowledge Garden Festival was collectively curated by AGYU curatorial.

For this exhibition, the AGYU was opened 7 days a week from 12 to 5pm, with extended hours for special events.

KNOWLEDGE GARDEN FESTIVAL Schedule of Activities (click here for details):

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021

Knowledge Market, 3 to 5 pm
Description
Hosted by Gudskul
Location: AGYU

*Also happened in the gallery via pre-recorded video
every Wednesday and Saturday, 3 to 5 pm
from Oct 30 through Dec 12
Description

New Tradition Music – Edutainment Session, 6 to 7 pm
Description || Documentation
Hosted by New Tradition Music
Location: Online

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021

Nutrient Loops: Small-space Bokashi Composting, 2 to 3:30 pm
Description
Hosted by Younger Than Beyoncé and the plumb
Location: AGYU

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021

Workshop on Workshops, 1 to 4 pm
Description || Documentation
Hosted by Golboo Amani & Golnesa Amani
Location: Online

Dreaming, 4 to 8 pm
Description
Hosted by Unit 2
Location: Offsite at Unit 2 (163 Sterling Road, Toronto)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

Hanya Memberi Tak Harap Kembali (HMTHK) or To Give and Expect Nothing in Return, 12 to 4 pm
Description
Hosted by Gudskul, featuring give-aways by Barbara Balfour, Lisa Myers, Instant Coffee, YTB and more…
Location: AGYU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2021

Remembering Tent City, NEW TIME: 7 to 8:30 pm
Description
Hosted by the Department of Public Memory
Location: Online Offsite at Trinity Bellwoods Park (790 Queen St W, Toronto ON M6J 1G3)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021

Barterin (Live Printmaking), 2 to 4 pm
Description
Hosted by Gudskul
Location: AGYU

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

Farming at the end of the world; conversations about food production, art and collaboration, 12 to 1 pm
Description || Documentation
Hosted by Between Collectives
Location: Online

Re(new) All [curatorial presentation], 3 to 5:30 pm
Description
Hosted by Sensorium: Centre for Digital Art and Technology at the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) at York University
Location: AGYU

Aspire to Inspire Open Mic, 7 to 8 pm
Description
Hosted by Jane Street Speaks
Location: Online event (Instagram live @a_g_y_u)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Gnome Parade, 2 to 4 pm
Description
Hosted by The Pavilion
Location: AGYU galleries and outside

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021

Dreaming to the Rhythm of Freedom: An Afrofuturist Godyssey, 1 to 4:30 pm
Description
Hosted by DAWA collective
Location: AGYU galleries and outside

RURU Radio Berkaraoke, 6 to 8 pm
Description
Hosted by Gudskul
Location: AGYU galleries and outside

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021

Bertukar Sapa Bertukar Karya (BSBK)-Greeting Exchange Artwork Exchange, starting at 6 pm
Description || Registration
Hosted by Gudskul
Location: AGYU instagram

All events were free, but due to Covid capacity restrictions all who attend had to register to visit the exhibition or attend an event (register here). AGYU visitors were required to pre-screen before coming to campus or attending associated events. Guests received an online questionnaire that had to be filled out the day of their visit.

We would like to give special thanks to the Toronto–based artist collectives and individual artists who have supported and participated in the Knowledge Garden Festival. This residency and exhibition would not have been possible without the generosity of your time and spirit. Thank you: Aisle 4, YTB, DAWA, Department of Public Memory, GTA, Jane Street Speaks, LAL/Unit 2, The Pavilion, New Tradition Music Mobile Studio Project, the plumb, Sister Co-Resister, and Teabase; and artists and curators Golboo Amani, Barbara Balfour, Suzanne Carte, Emelie Chhangur, Reuben ‘Beny’ Esguerra, Lisa Myers, Abidin Kusno, and Joel Ong.