Eko Saputra

Statement:

I come from a cross-cultural background, originally from Indonesia, now based in Venice, Italy. It’s a bit of a strange mix, really. I think it’s one of the things that shapes my work. As an interdisciplinary researcher and visual artist, I find myself constantly moving between different worlds: history, heritage, and technology. There’s something about the way those things overlap, and I’ve always been drawn to that intersection.

My approach mostly on heritage practices — how these tangible and intangible traditions can be reimagined, not just as static things, but as living, evolving stories. And I guess that’s where technology comes in. The way we use it, how it shapes our understanding of the past and the present — it’s not just about preservation. It’s about reinterpreting, communicating, and even challenging the narratives we’ve held for so long.

In my perspective, thinking about how technology impacts culture, especially when it comes to the topic of diaspora and place attachment. Those things, the way we relate to them, are constantly changing, right? The past is never really past. It’s still here, in the way we use digital tools to translate it, to connect with it in new ways. Maybe it’s a bit contradictory, but I think that’s part of the appeal — the way culture, history, and technology aren’t always so neatly separated. They collide, they overlap, and they influence each other.

I guess I’m trying to offer an alternative perspectives — new ways of looking at heritage history, technology, and the spaces in between. It’s not perfect, and I don’t have all the answers, but it feels like a conversation worth having.

Academics:

  • PhD in History, Cultural Heritage and Territory,
    University of Teramo, Italy
  • Certificate: Curating Digital Arts,
    NODE Center for Curatorial Studies Berlin
  • MA in Performing Arts and Multimedia Productions,
    University of Bologna, Italy
  • BComp in Information Technology,
    University of Paramadina, Indonesia

SelectedExhibition:

ArtResidencies&Training:

  • 2025
    • ExtraLive Residency – Digital Art House Turku, Finland.
  • 2024
    • IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University of Austria, Linz.
    • Digital Spatialities Program – Palacio das Belas Artes, Lisbon.
    • Provenance Research Lab – Wikimedia Berlin.
  • 2023
    • Innovation:Lab – Theater Utrecht.
    • IT:U x Ars Electronica Founding Lab, Linz.
    • XR Labs, EIT Culture Creativity – Jagiellonian University Krakow.
  • 2022
    • Research Fellow – European Route of Ceramics, Faenza.
    • VeDPH Lab: University of Ca’Foscari, Venice
    • Research Fellow – Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec.
  • 2021
    • Research Fellow – European Route of Ceramics, Faenza.
  • 2019
    • Museum Fellowship Program – Peggy Guggenheim Venice.
  • 2018
    • History Festival – Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin.

Lectures&ConferenceSpeaker:

Performances:

  • 2012
    • Dancers for Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
    • Jury for International Folk Festival for Children, Mecklenburg-Pommeraner Folkloreensemble Ribnitz-Damgarten (Germany)
  • 2011
    • Dancers and Musicians at Festival Mondial De Folklore Montrejeau, Festival Rite: Les Bethmalais Saint Girons, XVIII Festival Folklore Et Partage (France)
  • 2010
    • Dancers and Musicians at World Folk Review Integration Poznan and the International Folklore Festival Warsaw (Poland)