Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya (1929–1999) is one of the most important figures in the recent history of Indonesian architecture. He studied in Aachen, where he received his diploma in 1966, and was a priest, author, political activist and architect. After his return from Germany, he advocated for a social construction method based on local conditions, making him an early proponent of cooperative and ecological creation that is still relevant today.
The project examined the enduring impact of his ideas on current generations and their relevance to contemporary developments in the region. From May to October 2024, experts and students from seven universities from Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand in Yogyakarta examined the architect’s buildings and ensembles.
Learning from Mangunwijaya was initiated and curated by Sally Below, Moritz Henning and Eduard Kögel and realized in collaboration with Indonesian partners and universities – an exhibition of the research results, online lectures, an international online symposium and documentation film. The project was part of the Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism program and was supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
