Birthday Memories in the Works of Angkasa Nasrullah x Richard Phoenix
The collaboration between Angkasa Nasrullah Emir, a neurodivergent artist from Indonesia, and Richard Phoenix, an artist from the UK, through the Peer to Peer program organized by Tab Space and Art.et.al, offers a compelling view of how cross-geographical and cross-ability visual art collaboration can unfold in a dynamic and inclusive way. Over approximately six months, these two artists not only shared their creative experiences but also engaged in a dialogue about ideas and their art through digital platforms.
The Peer to Peer program, which serves as the foundation for this project, has a strong background in inclusion and self-expression. Tab Space, a supported studio in Indonesia, envisions providing an exploratory space for neurodivergent artists. They found inspiration in similar studios abroad, such as Art.et.al, a platform supporting disability arts. Through a meeting with Sim Luttin, one of Art.et.al's founders from Australia, Tab Space formulated a cross-country collaborative project with support from the British Council's Connection Through Culture (CTC) program. “Two neurodivergent artists from Tab Space were paired with two neurotypical artists from the UK, creating works by recording what was around them,” explained the Tab Space team. This project focuses on process, allowing the artwork to be born organically over time. The collaboration was conducted online, enabling the artists to build relationships and understand each other's creative processes.
Angkasa Nasrullah and Richard Phoenix embraced the theme of birthday celebrations in this program. According to Annisa Fanny, Angkasa’s Art Facilitator, the birthday theme emerged after Richard noticed Angkasa’s notebook. “The story goes that during our first meeting with Richard and Jennifer from Art.et.al, we showed works from each artist before the collaboration began. When showing Angkasa's notebook, there were writings and drawings about birthdays, repeated several times,” recalled Annisa. For Angkasa, birthdays are extremely precious moments. Every year, he reminds everyone about his birthday. “He remembers the date, the menu, and even keeps a list of the gifts he wants!” Annisa added. Richard was intrigued when he heard about Angkasa’s birthday traditions, despite having different feelings about birthdays. “The most important celebration for Angkasa is his birthday. However, I don’t like birthdays and find it difficult to celebrate them—a feeling Angkasa’s mother shares as well,” Richard explained. For Richard, though, this became an interesting approach—a party he didn’t have to organize, just paint. “In the end, this process made me think differently about how to appreciate moments like birthdays, which can be used to create something extraordinary, not just for yourself but for others too,” Richard reflected.
Through the Peer to Peer program, Angkasa created two main birthday-themed works: *"Birthday (1)"* and *"Birthday (2)."* The first piece was created with a layer-by-layer concept, where each layer represents different important elements of Angkasa’s birthday celebrations, from the invitations made with Richard to his favorite foods depicted in vibrant colors like pink, purple, and yellow—Angkasa's favorite colors. In the first layer, Angkasa drew the people he invited to his birthday party, and in the second layer, he illustrated the essential foods. “Other things Angkasa wanted on his birthday were illustrated in the third layer. This layer was done using larger yellow markers. During the process, Angkasa still wanted to draw some additional objects, so we decided to add one more layer using plastic sheets,” Annisa explained. The second piece, *"Birthday (2),"* was inspired by Richard's cutout works often made from plywood. In this work, Angkasa opted for a more manageable material, corrugated cardboard. “In this piece, Angkasa drew several characters, including new friends from the UK, to join in his birthday celebration,” Annisa shared.
Richard Phoenix, through his work, infused an emotional connection with the birthday theme. One of his main pieces is a large painting of a birthday celebration—created on a large linen canvas. This linen was initially used as a studio cover, but the stains and colors accumulated over the years became the starting point for Richard to create the painting. “Over a year or so, the linen gathered a lot of color and dirt from the studio, which can still be seen in the final painting,” Richard explained. In addition, Richard also created a series of plywood cutouts, a hallmark of his work. One notable cutout is a wooden sculpture of a person sitting with a cat, highlighting both Richard and Angkasa’s shared love for animals. “Another thing Angkasa and I have in common is our love for cats,” Richard noted.
The collaboration between Angkasa and Richard is not just about creating art but also about understanding each other's creative processes. Even though they worked from two different continents, technology like Zoom enabled them to meet regularly, share progress, and discuss new ideas. Richard described the experience as “really enjoyable and productive.” Much of their communication took place through images and their artwork—responding to each other’s creations, fostering a cycle of creative dialogue that pushed them to continue developing new ideas. “It was nice that a lot of our communication was through our drawings and painting—we would both respond to what each other was doing in our own way and share our responses and a lot of work would grow from that,” said Richard.
Of course, a cross-country collaborative project is not without its challenges. For Angkasa, the biggest challenge was the “coloring” part of the creation process. However, with the help and guidance from the art facilitators at Tab Space, he managed to overcome this obstacle. Rahmi Handayani, Angkasa’s mother, also noted that this was her son’s first time collaborating with an international artist. “It was fun because they both love music,” she said. For Richard, the biggest challenge was working online and creating a piece about his own birthday—something he usually finds difficult to celebrate. Through his collaboration with Angkasa, Richard discovered a new meaning in celebrating life’s moments, which he had previously found challenging.
The collaboration between Angkasa and Richard transcends physical, cultural, and ability boundaries. Through an empathetic creative process, these two artists produced works that are not only visually beautiful but also deeply meaningful. The Peer to Peer program led by Tab Space and Art.et.al demonstrates that cross-country and cross-ability collaborations can be powerful tools in raising awareness about the importance of inclusion in the arts.
