Udeido Collective

Established 2018

Udeido Collective comprises Nelson Natkime, Yanto Gombo, Andre Takimai, Betty Aadi, Constantinus Ruharusun, Michael Yan Devis and Dicky Takndare. From diferent parts of Papua, they met in Yogyakarta when most were students, forming together in 2018 to raise awareness about humanitarian issues in West Papua through artistic processes and creations. In West Papua, the easternmost and most problematic region in Indonesia, attempts at development and modernisation are entangled with human rights violations and ongoing conflicts. The name Udeido comes from the word ‘ude’, which refers to a type of leaf used by the Indigenous Mee to heal wounds. The Collective can be perceived as a healing space for intergenerational trauma, free from fear, oppression and discrimination, which are still very much part of Papuan daily reality. In its work, the Collective has developed a method called Conceptual Reconstruction where ancient and traditional concepts are re-animated within a new body of contemporary works as a means for analysing and discussing issues within society caused by prolonged socio-political conflict.