84. S12EP02｜Grab a Coffee, Brew an Idea: Nongkrong Culture and Organic Collaboration at Atelir Ceremai (ft. Hamidah Busyrah)

Key Points

• Atelier Cherma is an alternative art space in East Jakarta, Indonesia, founded in 2019, originally starting as a coffee shop.
• The space is rooted in the Indonesian cultural practice of "non-crung," which involves sitting together casually, chatting fluidly about topics like gossip, politics, traffic, and mental health.
• Atelier Cherma functions as a cultural hub with a coffee shop, library, bookshop, co-working area, performance space, and backstage theater, supporting diverse creative activities.
• The space emphasizes organic, peer-to-peer mentoring and community engagement, avoiding formal structures in favor of informal collaboration.
• Atelier Cherma engages with its local neighborhood, including involving community leaders in events and working with underprivileged youth through literacy programs.
• Popular events include music gigs and poetry readings like "QC on the Spot," where anyone can read their work.
• The philosophy behind Atelier Cherma is to foster a self-sufficient art community, providing a nurturing environment for young emerging artists, especially those from middle- or lower-class backgrounds, through reciprocal support and resource sharing.

Summary

The transcription features a podcast episode from "Mocha on Air" by the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, hosted by Erica, who welcomes Hamida from Atelier Cherma, an alternative art space in East Jakarta, Indonesia. The discussion centers on how art spaces, particularly artist-run or alternative ones, can serve as containers for diverse practices and ways of working, inspired by the exhibition "We Stroll Our Collective Existence."

Atelier Cherma was established in 2019, initially as a coffee shop, but it was always envisioned as more than a commercial venue. It is deeply rooted in the Indonesian cultural practice of "non-crung," which describes the casual, fluid act of sitting together and chatting about everyday topics such as gossip, politics, traffic, and mental health. This practice turns everyday struggles into art through informal conversation, and the coffee shop provides the space for these exchanges to happen organically. The founders, who come from backgrounds as educators, lecturers, and researchers, aimed to create a place where young emerging creators could discuss, test, and make their ideas tangible.

The space itself is a cultural hub that combines a coffee shop, library, bookshop, co-working area, and performance space, including a backstage theater and music area. This layout allows for a fluid movement between casual gatherings and more focused productions, supporting different stages of the creative process. The library, inspired by a past Jakarta café culture, encourages people to borrow books and exchange ideas, fostering organic interactions. Atelier Cherma engages with its local neighborhood, such as by involving community leaders in music events to ensure inclusivity and by running literacy programs for underprivileged youth.

Popular events include music gigs and poetry readings like "QC on the Spot," where anyone can read their work, promoting a non-academic, fun exchange of ideas. The philosophy behind Atelier Cherma is to create a self-sufficient art community, especially for those from middle- or lower-class backgrounds who lack resources. The space offers peer-to-peer mentoring and a nurturing environment where individuals can develop their talents through informal collaboration, turning ideas into meaningful projects. Ultimately, Atelier Cherma aims to give back to the community through reciprocal responsibility, embodying the idea that place creates space, and space attracts people, enabling creative growth and connection.