Arus Balik

Arus Balik is an ongoing initiative that brings together a learning program and a collaborative platform focused on reclaiming and reimagining the cultural heritage of the Nusantara. This includes both tangible artifacts and intangible values deeply rooted in our shared history.

Arus Balik Project is one part of the long-term process of the Arus Balik Initiative. Activities within the Arus Balik Project are related to socio-cultural issues, particularly concerning history and culture. The Arus Balik Project is also a significant component of a residency program organized by PressingMatter.nl. Arus Balik is a perspective that forms a long-term program by Lifepatch and its collaborators. As a program, Arus Balik is closely connected to Lifepatch’s previous cultural work, especially those related to the history of the Batak people in North Sumatra.

Initiated by Lifepatch, Arus Balik continues the collective’s longstanding commitment to cultural research and community engagement. The program builds on Lifepatch’s previous work, particularly around the historical and cultural legacies of the Batak people in North Sumatra.

Together with collaborators, Arus Balik opens up a space for reflection, research, and creative response—inviting new perspectives on heritage, memory, and identity.

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Exhibitions

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Unfinished past: return, keep, or … ?

Increasingly, the question is being asked whether museums should return collections to their countries of origin. Politicians, activists and communities from former European colonies advocate returning objects to their countries of origin. Museums themselves are also asking critical questions: how did these objects end up in their collections? And who do they actually belong to?
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