One of Indonesia’s most seminal and respected contemporary artists, Arahmaiani inaugurated FSA’s Artist-in-Residence program May 2022. A trailblazer in the field of performance art, she is internationally recognized for her powerful and provocative commentaries on social, environmental and cultural issues. Inspired by spiritual practices and ancient wisdom, Arahmaiani often acts as a mediator between politically tenuous communities to spearhead long-term projects over shared human values (such as environmental preservation) that transcends national and political barriers, generating interfaith dialogue and peace. Calling artists “alchemical vessels for change,” she has been working for decades with various communities to foster self-sufficient agricultural models that preserve the larger ecosystem. For example, an extension of her “Flags Project” is her ongoing Tibet Environmental Project (2010 – ), a collaboration between the Tibetan monks at Lab and the local Chinese authorities that has led to creating a community farm, a large-scale trash clean up, implementing recycling practices, alternative energy sources, water management, and the planting of over two million trees in the Tibetan Plateau, one of the most critical water regions in the world.

During her FSA residency in Charleston, Arahmaiani engaged the local community through several gatherings and public performances – see more about her programs below.