Learn about rich expressions of Southeast Asian art through our online courses!

Explore how women reshape Indonesian art history.

Jointly developed with independent Indonesian curator Alia Swastika, this course examines how women in Indonesia have shaped artistic practice, cultural histories, and social change through works that tell stories that endure.

In this course, you will encounter six artists and one collective from Indonesia. Rooted in lived experience yet deeply connected to wider social and historical contexts, their art engages with identity, memory, politics, tradition, and community.

Discover women’s contributions to Indonesian art

Learn about artists from different generations, regions, and artistic backgrounds. From painting, sculpture, installation, to collaborative practices, these artists preserve cultural knowledge, challenge dominant narratives, and expand our understanding of Indonesian art, gender, and society. Their enduring stories reveal art not only as a record of the past, but also as a means of making sense of the present.

Rethink Indonesian art history

Consider how Indonesian artists draw on cultural traditions, collective histories, and socio-political tensions to create work that reflects both individual perspectives and shared realities. Together, these artists invite us to reconsider not only the role of women in art history, but also how art itself shapes the histories we remember and the futures we imagine.

Online Courses on Southeast Asian Art

Developed by National Gallery Singapore, Online Courses on Southeast Asian Art introduces audiences to the richness of art from the region.

At your own pace, journey with artists, curators and researchers through insightful videos, short readings, and resources. We also invite you to exchange ideas with our global community of curious learners.

Syllabus

Week 1
Welcome to the Course!
- Welcome to the Course!
  This section gives you an overview of the course. Let's start by meeting the team and artist, and getting to know other learners!
Week 2
Art and Activism
- Art and Activism
  This week, we will explore how artists Dolorosa Sinaga and Arahmaiani recover suppressed histories and reclaim art as a site of political agency.
Week 3
Between the Personal and Collective
- Between the Personal and Collective
  This week features artworks by collective Bakudapan Food Study Group as well as artists Nunung WS and Titarubi, understanding how women's personal lived experiences could be transformed into forms of public engagement.
Week 4
Ancestral Wisdom and Women's Stories
- Ancestral Wisdom and Women's Stories
  This week delves into the practices of Mangku Muriati and Citra Sasmita, revealing how artists engage with inherited traditions while preserving, questioning, and transforming cultural knowledge.
Week 5
Where do we go from here?
- Conclusion
  We invite you to reflect on what we learned over the past few weeks, on how the mentioned practices challenge the single linear narrative of Indonesian art history centred on institutions, canonical art groups, and figures.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

16 Nov 2026

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Identify key women artists in Indonesia and their contributions to the country’'s artistic and cultural histories.
Develop an understanding of women's contributions to Indonesian art history and cultural heritage.
Critically evaluate how art preserves and shapes collective memory, and challenges established narratives.
Encounter art and ways of thinking from Southeast Asia.
Apply vocabulary and visual analysis strategies to form an interpretation of artworks.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in the intersections of art, history, gender, and society in Indonesia. It is for those who are curious about how women have shaped artistic practices, challenged historical narratives, and contributed to broader conversations on identity, memory, politics, and cultural traditions.

Whether you have a background in art history, Southeast Asian studies, gender studies, or cultural research—or are simply interested in discovering the diverse contributions of women artists in Indonesia—this course offers new perspectives on how art preserves knowledge, reflects lived experiences, and shapes our understanding of the past and present.

We’ll take a thematic approach, exploring the practices of women artists across different generations and artistic mediums through artworks, interviews, and conversations with artists and scholars. Along the way, you’ll examine how their creative practices illuminate the social, cultural, and historical contexts in which they emerged, while inviting new ways of understanding Indonesian art and society.

Who will you learn with?

Joleen Loh

Joleen Loh is Curator at National Gallery Singapore where she contributes to research and exhibitions on modern and contemporary art from Southeast Asia.

Jying Tan

Jying Tan is Senior Manager (Curatorial Programmes) at National Gallery Singapore, where she contributes to growing youth audience in museums through various pedagogical and inclusive engagement.

Rose Wei

Rose Wei co-runs an independent publishing studio focused on risography and artist books, exploring the social, cultural, and political dimensions of transnational experiences.

Who developed the course?

National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore is a visual arts museum that oversees the world’s largest public collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian modern art, creating dialogues between the art of the region and the world.

What's included?

National Gallery Singapore are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:

Unlimited access to this course

Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes

A PDF Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you’re eligible

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn