NEXT exhibition: It smells of sweat & jasmine

Wanneer: 8 november 2025

It smells of sweat and jasmine is about labour in colonial, contemporary and diasporic Indonesia, as seen through the lens of female and genderqueer artists. Combining the artists’ personal histories, experiences and research, the exhibition sheds light on the complex intersections of patriarchal violence, capitalist labor exploitation and (neo)colonial plunder.

Download the descriptive object list for visually impaired visitors here.

Come to drop-in afternoon on Nov. 8 and Art Café on Nov. 9

Essentialist ideas about gendered labor in the archipelago were introduced by both indigenous feudal and Dutch colonial systems and further entrenched in the twentieth century by the fascist New Order in their policy of ibuisme negara (state motherhood).

In the press:
metropolism

Existing on the margins

Power shifts consolidated gender within the binary structure of the male worker and female housewife, condemning all those who lived outside it – trans* and genderqueer (informal) workers, peasant women and factory workers – to an existence on the margins. This meant that there was little room within government development policy for their struggles and concerns, while reaping the economic benefits of their productive labor.

Bookstores

The exhibition is designed along the lines of Indonesian second-hand bookstores, as an ode to the desire to re-circulate the knowledge that exists about gender work. Through the artistic works and a curated selection of publications, the exhibition invites visitors to use different forms of knowledge to explore their own relationship to gender and labor.

Part exhibition, part archive and part library, It smells of sweat & jasmine gets countless voices together to form a chorus demanding fair and just working conditions for those who hold up more than half the sky.

Next-project

It smells of sweat & jasmine stems from CBK Zuidoost’s NEXT project, in which young artists of color are given the opportunity to curate an exhibition. This year, CBK Zuidoost is giving Dewi Sofia Laurente the opportunity to gain experience as a curator.

Public program

Oct. 10: Guided tour with free mibo

On Friday, Oct. 10, there will be a special guided tour of the exhibition led by curator Dewi Sofia. The tour lasts about an hour, after which there will be an opportunity to chat over drinks.

5:00 – 5:30 p.m.: Doors open, walk-in
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Guided tour
6:30 – 7:00 p.m.: Drinks

November 1: Museum Night

During Museum Night, the exhibition comes alive with an exciting interactive program: two of the participating artists from it smells of sweat and jasmine will be present to activate and reinterpret their work: Nabila Ernada will give a listening session from behind the turntables and Rizqita Naherta will do an interactive performance based on their work “Project ITC.

If you want to get your hands dirty, bring (white/light colored) T-shirts and other fabrics to screen print the exhibition’s poster illustration (created by Marishka Soekarna) with Angga Cipta. Our favorite local Bijlmer Indonesian Aunt Wa Atik cooks delicious food so you can enjoy the evening with a full stomach.

The evening will be curated by Insan Larasati, co-founder of Nusaqueer Diaspora, an open platform for the queer diaspora community of the Southeast Asian archipelago, with a focus on Indonesia. Nusaqueer Diaspora brings together the diaspora community of the Southeast Asian archipelago by organizing community events and setting up online channels on WhatsApp and Discord. The exhibition is set up as a relaxed space to enjoy performances, workshops, food and each other. Nusaqueer Diaspora believes it is precisely in these moments of peace and togetherness that they find the energy to keep fighting.

7 p.m.: Doors open, exhibition open to visitors
7:30 p.m. – 00 a.m.: Warung Wa Atik – street food
8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Screen printing workshop with Acip
8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Interactive performance of Project ITC by Rizqita Naherta
11:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.: DJ Set by Nabila Ernada

Nov. 8: Walk-in afternoon for blind and visually impaired visitors

Are you blind or visually impaired? Would you like to experience the exhibition It smells of sweat and jasmine at CBK Zuidoost? Then come to the walk-in afternoon for visually impaired blind visitors on November 8. Alicia Hoost, expert by experience and heritage expert, will provide a program where you can learn more about the objects and explore the exhibition alone or together.

Date: Saturday, November 8,
Time: 13:00 to 15:00
Location: CBK Zuidoost, Anton de Komplein 120, Amsterdam
Are you interested? Sign up with an email to info@aliciahoost.nl.
Then we will make sure we have coffee or tea ready for you!

Nov. 9: Art Cafe from 3-7 p.m.

This Art Café, against the background of the exhibition it smells of sweat and jasmine, is about oppression and resistance of the Indonesian people. Anton de Komplein 120, free admission. English spoken. Sign up through Eventbrite.

Curator Dewi Sofia calls it a multidisciplinary lecture, with room for memories, music and discussions. She will talk with two artists participating in the exhibition, Marie Civikov and Nabila Ernada as well as performer and composer Alfian Emir Adytia (also known as Emir Cello) and researcher Samia Kotele.

****************************** English ******************************

It smells of sweat and jasmine addresses labor issues in colonial, contemporary, and diasporic Indonesia through the lens of women and genderqueer artists. Through collecting the artists’ personal histories, experiences, and research, the exhibition traces the complex intersections of patriarchal violence, capitalist labor exploitation, and (neo)colonial plunder.

Download the list of object descriptions if you have a visual impairment.

Essentialist ideas of gendered labor in the archipelago were introduced by both native feudal and Dutch colonial systems, further enshrined in the 20th century by the fascist New Order in their policies of ibuisme negara (state motherhood).

Existing in the margins

Throughout shifts in power, gender became consolidated within the binary of the male worker and female homemaker, condemning all those who exist in the margins-trans* and genderqueer (informal) workers, women farmers and factory workers-to deviant existences. This effectively erased their struggles and concerns in governmental development policies, while continuing to reap the economic benefits of their productive labor.

Bookstores

The exhibition is modelled after Indonesia’s street-side second-hand bookstores, as an ode to its desire to recirculate epistemologies of gendered labor. Through both artistic works and a curated selection of publications, the exhibition urges visitors to examine their own relationship to gender and labor through their engagement with different forms of knowledge.

Part art exhibition, part archive, and part library, It smells of sweat and jasmine threads together a myriad of voices into a chorus that demands fair and just working conditions for those who hold up more than half the sky.

Next-project

It smells of sweat & jasmine stems from CBK Zuidoost’s NEXT project, which gives young artists of color the opportunity to curate an exhibition. This year, CBK Zuidoost is giving Dewi Sofia Laurente the opportunity to gain experience as a curator.

Public program

October 10: Guided tour with Friday afternoon drinks

On Friday 10 October, there will be a special guided tour of the exhibition led by curator Dewi Sofia. The tour will last approximately one hour, after which there will be an opportunity to chat over drinks.

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Doors open, walk-in
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Guided tour
6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Drinks

November 1: Museum Night

For Museum Night the exhibition will come to life through an exciting interactive program: two of the participating artists of it smells of sweat and jasmine will be present to activate and reinterpret their work: Nabila Ernada will deliver a listening session from behind the decks and Rizqita Naherta will do an interactive performance based on their work ‘Project ITC’.

If you’re ready to get your hands dirty you can bring your own (white/light colored) t-shirts and other fabrics to screenprint the exhibition’s poster illustration (made by Marishka Soekarna) with Angga Cipta, and our favorite local Bijlmer Indonesian auntie Wa Atik will cook delicious food and make sure you can enjoy the night on a full stomach.he night is curated by Insan Larasati, co-founder of Nusaqueer Diaspora-an open platform for the queer diaspora community of the Southeast Asian archipelago, with a focus on Indonesia. Nusaqueer Diaspora brings the diaspora community of the Southeast Asian archipelago together by organizing community events and establishing online channels on WhatsApp and Discord.

The exhibition is designed as a relaxed space to enjoy performances, workshops, food, and each other. Nusaqueer Diaspora believes that it is precisely in these moments of peace and togetherness that we find the energy to keep fighting.

7 p.m.: Doors open, exhibition open to visitors
7.30 p.m. – midnight: Warung Wa Atik (food vendor)
8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Screen-printing workshop with Acip
8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Interactive performance of Project ITC by Rizqita Naherta
11.30 p.m. – 1 a.m.: DJ set by Nabila Ernada

November 9: Art Cafe from 3-5 pm

This Kunstcafé, set against the backdrop of the exhibition it smells of sweat and jasmine, is about the oppression and resistance of the Indonesian people. Anton de Komplein 120, free entrance. English spoken. Register through Eventbrite.

Curator Dewi Sofia calls it a multidisciplinary lecture, with room for memories, music and discussions. She will talk to two artists participating in the exhibition, Marie Civikov and Nabila Ernada, as well as performer and composer Alfian Emir Adytia (also known as Emir Cello) and researcher Samia Kotele.

---