On 7 May 2026, CultureLab joined the inaugural edition of Kelas Malam at Side Room through a public talk by Dr. Sadiah Boonstra titled Whose Taste Is It Anyway? Did Colonialism Stitch Together Indonesian Style?

Bringing together history, fashion, museums, and contemporary culture, the talk explored how colonialism continues to shape aesthetic values and ideas of “good taste” in the present. Using examples ranging from the 2026 Met Gala to colonial dress codes in the Dutch East Indies, Sadiah unpacked how concepts such as the “universal,” the “modern,” and the “sophisticated” are deeply rooted in colonial systems of hierarchy and exclusion.

The session invited participants to critically reflect on how coloniality still influences the way art, fashion, and cultural identity are perceived today. Through historical case studies, including the colonial roots of the Javanese beskap and the global circulation of Dutch wax textiles associated with Vlisco, the talk examined how fashion histories are entangled with extraction, racialization, trade networks, and systems of power.

At the same time, the discussion also opened space for imagining decolonial approaches to aesthetics and cultural production. The talk approached decolonization as an ongoing process of unlearning inherited hierarchies and reconnecting with forms of knowledge, creativity, and expression that have long been marginalized or silenced.