YOGYAKARTA — The Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta is holding an Art Workshop titled “Technology and Posthumanism” on June 22, 2026. This event is part of the activation program for the 42nd Anniversary Exhibition of ISI Yogyakarta, which runs from June 20–26, 2026.
The workshop is presented as a space for learning, artistic practice, and critical reflection on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in relation to art, historical archives, memory, and humanity. Through this activity, ISI Yogyakarta invites students, artists, and the general public to view technology not just as a tool for visual production, but also as a field of discourse that influences how humans understand identity, memory, and history.
Adopting a post-humanist approach, this workshop re-examines the human position amidst rapidly evolving and complex digital technologies. Participants are invited to explore the relationship between humans, machines, memory, and visual representation, which are increasingly influenced by algorithmic systems.
The head of the committee for the 42nd Dies Natalis of ISI Yogyakarta stated that this workshop is part of the campus’s commitment to providing a space for dialogue relevant to the changes of our time. According to him, art has an important role in critically, creatively, and reflectively interpreting social and technological developments.
“Through this workshop, participants will not only be introduced to AI technology as a visual production tool, but also invited to understand the various ethical, historical, and humanitarian implications that accompany it. Art becomes a medium to question and respond to the changes occurring in the digital era,” he said.
This activity features visual artist and researcher Rangga Purbaya as the main speaker. In the practical session, participants used Indonesian historical archives as material for visual exploration with the help of the AI platform Artbreeder. This process opened up space for participants to understand how artificial intelligence-based images can be created, modified, and critiqued within the context of contemporary art.
Rangga Purbaya is known as an artist who frequently addresses issues of history, memory, and identity through various mediums, including photography, video, installations, and performance art. His artistic experience in exploring archives and socio-political events serves as a crucial foundation for guiding participants to view technology not merely as a technical instrument, but as a space for negotiating meaning and human experience.
The workshop material is organized through a combination of practice, discussion, and mutual reflection. Participants are introduced to the concept of posthumanism, the utilization of historical archives as a source for artistic creation, the use of AI Artbreeder in the visual process, and a critical reading of the ethics of using artificial intelligence in art production.
Through this approach, participants are encouraged to produce artistic experiments that are not only technically outstanding but also possess an awareness of social, cultural, and historical contexts. This workshop also serves as a space to understand how technology can influence the formation of visual narratives, including in reinterpreting archives and collective memory.
The participants' enthusiasm shows the growing attention of the younger generation towards utilizing technology in art practices. They gained hands-on experience in combining artistic methods, historical research, and digital technology to present new perspectives on the relationship between humans and machines.
For ISI Yogyakarta, the organization of this workshop is part of an effort to strengthen the role of higher education in art as a space for knowledge production that is responsive to technological developments, while remaining critical of its impact on human life. Art is positioned not only as an aesthetic product, but also as a means of reflection, interpretation of the times, and the formation of public awareness.
Through the “Technology and Posthumanism” Workshop, ISI Yogyakarta reaffirms its position as an art education institution that actively encourages interdisciplinary dialogue between art, technology, history, and humanity. This activity simultaneously enriches the series of ISI Yogyakarta's 42nd anniversary, serving as a momentum to celebrate creativity, critical thinking, and the contribution of art in envisioning the future.
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