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Fanfictie: Volcanology

Forum Expanded Exhibition 2026
© New Pessimism Studio
The video installation is the first chapter of a trilogy of works that examines colonial scientific activity in Indonesia between the 18th and 19th centuries and its relationship to spirituality. Fanfictie: Volcanology focuses on the science of volcanology – introduced in Indonesia through the work of the Dutch geologist Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn – and on how his theories conflicted with local conceptions of volcanoes. In this work, Junghuhn appears as an undead presence, trapped inside the bowels of an active volcano. He acts as a symbol of colonial science, embodying the tension between different interpretations of reality and the radical, poetic potential that can arise from encounters with alternative ways of conceiving the natural world.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Riar Rizaldi (Director, Screenplay)
with Agatha Irena, Ula Zuhra Indonesia / Italy 2025 Indonesian Colour International premiere

With

  • Agatha Irena
  • Ula Zuhra

Crew

Director Riar Rizaldi
Screenplay Riar Rizaldi
Cinematography Adythia Utama
Editing Riar Rizaldi
Music Harsya Wahono
Sound Design Harsya Wahono
Production Design Arda Awigarda
Costumes Juraiz Taflazani
Make-Up Juraiz Taflazani
Producer B.M. Anggana

Produced by

New Pessimism Studio

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Photos

Riar Rizaldi

© Dan Weill

Riar Rizaldi is an artist and filmmaker working across cinema and exhibition contexts. His practice explores the relationships between science, technology, labour and nature, alongside competing worldviews, genre cinema and the possibilities of theoretical fiction. Rizaldi’s work has been shown at various film festivals, museums and art spaces internationally, including the Berlinale, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Taipei Biennale, the National Gallery of Indonesia and Gasworks. After Mirage: Eigenstate (2024), this is his second participation in Forum Expanded.

Filmography (selection)

2019 Kasiterit 2020 Tellurian Drama · Ghost Like Us 2021 Becquerel 2022 Notes from Gog Magog 2023 Fossilis · Monisme 2024 Mirage: Eigenstate; Forum Expanded 2025 2025 Fanfictie: Volcanology; Forum Expanded 2026

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026