Recent Project

Beyond Unsettled Pasts

The contemporary art exhibition brings together six Indonesian visual artists to critically reflect on how Dutch colonial legacies continue to shape society, space, and identity in present-day Indonesia.

Recent Project

The Hidden Treasures of Sudjana Kerton

The exhibition brings to light the legacy of Sudjana Kerton, emphasising his diverse roles as an artist, a visual historian, and an important inspiration to generations to come.

Recent Project

Looking Behind Nias Faces

Looking Behind Nias Faces: The Face of Ono Niha is a research-based exhibition that critically engages with Dutch colonial representations of Nias and its people, the Ono Niha.

CultureLab is a social-enterprise for museum and exhibition services in Indonesia.

We work with museums, heritage sites, and cultural institutions to rethink how they connect with people in today’s world.

Our practice bridges research, curatorial thinking, and participatory design, creating experiences that are locally grounded, socially engaged, and globally relevant. From reinterpreting collections to developing new exhibitions and training museum professionals, we help institutions evolve with purpose and care.

1
Years of International Experience & Expertise
1
Partner Museums, and Cultural Institutions
1
International Exhibitions Since 2020
1
Peer-Reviewed Publications Since 2020

Fields of Expertise

Practice Areas

CultureLab’s work spans strategy, curatorial development, and learning guided by research, collaboration, and care. Each area of expertise reflects our commitment to rethinking how museums and heritage connect with people.

Museum Futures

We collaborate with museums and cultural institutions to reflect on their purpose, collections, and place within society.

Our work includes

Institutional reflection, visioning and strategy workshops, audience and visitor experience studies, interpretive frameworks.

Exhibition Storytelling

We shape exhibitions that translate complex ideas into accessible, affective experiences.

Our work includes

Exhibition-making, curatorial concept development, narrative and content design, spatial and experiential planning.

Learning & Capacity

We create learning environments for museum professionals, researchers, and cultural practitioners to think critically about their practice.

Our work includes

Professional development programs, mentorships, communication and audience engagement workshops, peer-learning formats.

Research & Knowledge Exchange

Research anchors our practice, connecting historical, social, and artistic perspectives to contemporary museum work in Indonesia and beyond.

Our work includes

Commissioned research, writing and translation, publication development, public programs.

Latest News

CultureLab Joins International Consortium Investigating the Colonial Past of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

Starting in September 2025, an international consortium of researchers will begin an extensive investigation into the colonial past of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)...

Beyond Unsettled Pasts Opens at Erasmus Huis: Confronting Colonial Legacies Through Art

Opened on 3 July 2025, Beyond Unsettled Pasts is a collaboration between CultureLab and Erasmus Huis exploring the legacies of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. Featuring six Indonesian artists, it...