Breaking The Barrier: A Meeting Point for Design and Motion Graphics
Surabaya becomes a place of encounter for design studios from various countries through Breaking The Barrier, an exhibition that invites visitors to see how design and motion graphics meet and influence one another. Held from 3 to 7 December 2025, the event is initiated by Akronim and supported by Famos Hub. The exhibition presents a creative dialogue shaped by the gathering of nine invited studios from Indonesia, Egypt, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Breaking The Barrier is built on the idea that contemporary visuals move in many forms. Graphic design does not stand alone, and motion graphics increasingly shape how visual identities are formed. In the main exhibition space, visitors can see interpretations of the theme “breaking barriers” through graphic works, typography, digital installations, and video. Each studio offers its own reading of movement and visual transformation, producing works that reflect the range of contemporary design practices in a global context.
Alongside the main exhibition, there is also an Intimate Session that allows visitors to look more closely at the creative processes of the practitioners. On 6 December, Seto Adi Witonoyo from Satu Collective discusses how motion graphics contribute to shaping a brand’s character. Moderated by Anas Kautsar, the session explores how rhythm and visual dynamics can extend a brand’s identity in a more vivid direction. The following day, on 7 December, Else presents a quieter approach. Aldy Edison and Virnanda Rayandini discuss the use of subtle motion, small gestures that help build atmosphere and meaning in visual projects. This session is moderated by Adji Herdanto.
The list of participants reflects a wide range of visual practices. From Cairo comes 40MUSTAQEL, while Studio Dumbar/DEPT from Rotterdam and Studio Feixen from Lucerne bring perspectives from European design. From Southeast Asia, Anonymous and Foreign Policy Design from Singapore join the exhibition. From Indonesia, Akronim as the organizer participates alongside Else and Sciencewerk from Surabaya, as well as Satu Collective from Jakarta. Each studio carries a different approach to the relationship between graphic design and motion graphics, allowing the exhibition to present diverse methods and ways of thinking across regions.
The exhibition at Famos Hub features works presented on 43-inch monitors within a ten-meter hall. These panels gather thematic animation pieces that focus on movement, perception, and transformation. A blank canvas becomes a symbolic starting point, a site for new possibilities where ideas move and take shape. From there, visitors are invited to follow how designers respond to shifts in the digital visual landscape.
Beyond providing a platform for showcasing work, Breaking The Barrier aims to strengthen the creative community in Surabaya and its surroundings. The program fosters conversations between designers, students, and creative professionals about evolving visual practices. Through the exhibition and discussion sessions, it hopes to broaden public understanding of contemporary visual practices and inspire new ways of seeing the connections between ideas, mediums, and experience.
