Julian Abraham “Togar” (b. 1987 in Medan; lives in Amsterdam, Medan, and Yogyakarta) derives his practice from rhythms and systems, working at the intersection of sound, music, DIY-engineering, research, biohacking, activism, and more. In 2020, at the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown, he purchased a drum for his studio, where he was then a resident at Amsterdam’s Rijksakademie. Fellow residents who overheard his percussions began to visit his studio, frequently bringing their own instruments for group jam sessions or simply to hang out together. OK Studio was born. As an organically evolving project that has transformed with each invitation, the studio becomes, as Togar explains, “an instrument with its own potentiality. The possibilities that it carries to invite others to be with it, play with it, sit with it, move with it.”
For the 58th Carnegie International, OK Studio is presented as an open composition and instrumental system comprised of nine automated ocean drums, shruti boxes, gongs, contact mics, megaphones, and other instruments, as well as a video of the artist recording rock music and text-based works informed by sonic culture. The installation invites relaxation, close listening, and observation.
