Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism is a transdisciplinary forum for exploring postcolonial modern architecture and contemporary urban development in Southeast Asia. A particular focus is on the multifaceted links between Germany and the region. Through exhibitions, publications, and symposia, it actively contributes to public discourse.

21 November to 18 December 2024

In the late 1950s, several young Indonesians went to study in West Germany, including architecture students. Most of them attended the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), while others studied at the technical universities in Hanover and Aachen. After completing their studies, the majority returned to their native Indonesia and quickly became key figures during this dynamic period of the country’s history. Around a third of the graduates remained in Europe, where they embarked on successful architectural careers in Germany and Switzerland.

Drawing from the diploma theses of the Berlin graduates, archived at the TU Berlin Architecture Museum, Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History provides insight into this little-known aspect of German-Indonesian relations, for the first time in Germany.

The exhibition, that is based on our exhibition Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek. German-trained Indonesian Architects from the 1960s held in Jakarta in 2022, documents the lives and work of eight of these architects. Three accompanying talks will expand on the exhibition and connect it to broader contemporary discourses.

3 May 2024 to 31 December 2024

Learning from Mangunwijaya focuses on the architectural heritage of Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya (1929–1999), an Indonesian Catholic priest, writer, political activist, and architect. Mangunwijaya’s architectural legacy was shaped significantly by his studies in Aachen, Germany.

This project examines the enduring impact of his ideas on current generations of Indonesian architects and their relevance to contemporary developments in the region. Through a student workshop, exhibition, documentary film, and symposium, Learning from Mangunwijaya aims to contextualize his work in the present day and foster broad local, regional, and international engagement.

1 December 2022 to 1 February 2023

The architecture of post-colonial modernity in Southeast Asia is the subject of passionate debate in the region and increasingly being recognised worldwide.

Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: German-trained Indonesian Architects from the 1960s adds to this discourse by shedding light on a little-known chapter of German-Indonesian architectural history – with an exhibition in Jakarta, symposia, and a publication.

16 April to 12 November 2021

With an exhibition in Berlin, online events and a publication, Contested Modernities. Postcolonial Architecture in Southeast Asia 2021 highlights the current discourse on postcolonial modernity in Southeast Asia.

Contributions from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Singapore as well as Germany critically engage with modernist buildings, open up new perspectives, and promote and develop positive examples of a contemporary approach to them.

30 August 2019 to 15 December 2019

With partners in Phnom Penh, Jakarta, Yangon and Singapore, Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism shed light on the history, significance and future of socially relevant design ideas of postcolonial modernism in the region and addressed them in the context of the Bauhaus centenary 2019 in Germany.