2R: Ruang Riung was successfully held in Yogyakarta and Jakarta from 5 October to 1 November 2025, creating a warm meeting space for 2,696 participants from diverse backgrounds. For several weeks, Ruang Riung became a place where art, conversation, and cultural experiences coexisted, strengthened one another, and opened pathways toward more honest interfaith dialogue.

Amid rising social tensions and declining peace indicators in Indonesia (SETARA Institute, 2024), as well as challenges to civil liberties in several Southeast Asian countries, Ruang Riung offered a space for people to meet without prejudice, and especially provided room for women’s voices, which have often gone unheard.

In collaboration with Srikandi Lintas Iman (SRILI), Nahdlatul Ulama University (UNU) Yogyakarta, Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW), Peradah Research and Study Institute, and the Dharma Nusantara Hindu College Jakarta, the art exhibitions held at UNU Yogyakarta, UKDW, and Aditya Jaya Temple Rawamangun, Jakarta became the heart of Ruang Riung’s journey. More than two thousand visitors viewed artworks created largely by young artists, women, and people with disabilities. The paintings, photographs, and installations shared stories of wounds, hope, diversity, and everyday life, inviting visitors to pause for a moment and see the world with gentler eyes.

Ruang Riung did not stop at visual art. Participants visited Borobudur Temple, Pabelan Islamic Boarding School, and the Rhema Chicken Church, experiencing the long history of Southeast Asian relations and learning how interfaith harmony has long taken root. These experiences became life lessons on the importance of understanding and valuing differences as part of daily life.

The Tea Workshops at UNU and UKDW offered intimate experiences that showed how peace can grow from simple activities involving collaboration, self-awareness, and shared stories.

Another key moment took place during the international seminar at UNU Yogyakarta, divided into two main themes. In “When Faiths Meet: Muslim–Buddhist Stories from Indonesia & Thailand,” participants heard interfaith stories from Venerable Julia Surya, S.Pd.B., M.A., M.Pd., PhD., Chair of the Scientific Publication and Publishing Institution (LPIP) at Smaratungga Buddhist College; Venerable Napan Thawornbanjob, Chair of the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation; and Dr. Suhadi, Vice Rector of UNU Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, “Voices of Peace: Stories of Collaboration from Southeast Asia” featured Dr. Yuliyanti, Assistant Professor at the History Department Faculty of Cultural Sciences and CRCS UGM; Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, Founding Director of Dialogue Centre Singapore; Asst. Prof. Dr. Nur Suriya Binti Mohd Nor, Asst. Prof. Dr. Nur Suriya Binti Moh Nor, Assistant Prof (Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion and Philosophy, AHAS KIRKHS) of International Islamic University Malaysia; and Palin Teptat, Director of Youth-Empowered Partnership (YEP) Centre, IBHAP Foundation. With 100 participants in attendance, the seminar became a space to feel, understand, and share real experiences of interreligious collaboration, while also affirming the role of women in building peace and strengthening inclusive community networks.

Talkshow sessions held at UNU Yogyakarta, UKDW, and Aditya Jaya Temple Rawamangun brought together more than a hundred participants and created a safe space to discuss challenges and opportunities in celebrating diversity.

At UNU Yogyakarta, the talkshow explored the theme “Literature as a Bridge Weaving Diversity and Peace,” presented by Haidar Amaruddin, Lecturer at the Faculty of Education, UNU Yogyakarta. This was followed by “From Dialogue to Harmony: Building Bridges Amid Diversity” by Safira Rizky Mayla Aziz, Program Officer at Indika Foundation.

At UKDW, discussions focused on the role of art as a medium for dialogue through the presentations “Canvas as a Space for Dialogue: Stirring Our Sense of Care for Earth and Humanity” by Arahmaiani, an Indonesian female artist, and “Art Spaces as Media for Peace and Inclusive Communities” by Winta T. Satwikasanti, M.Sc., Ph.D., lecturer at Duta Wacana Christian University Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, at Aditya Jaya Temple Rawamangun, the talkshow highlighted the importance of effective communication and dialogue across differences. Dr. Ni Gusti Ayu Ketut Kurniasari, Chair of STAH Dharma Nusantara Jakarta, delivered the session “The Art of Speaking, the Art of Listening: Effective Communication Skills for Building Interfaith Bridges.” The event closed with “From Dialogue to Harmony: Building Bridges Amid Diversity” by Bernadeta Valentina, Senior Program Officer at Indika Foundation.

Ruang Riung reminds us that peace does not always begin in grand forums or diplomatic meetings. Sometimes it grows from a simple conversation in front of an artwork, from footsteps tracing a sacred site, from hands working together on a craft, or from the courage of women who choose to speak.

Amid today’s challenges in Southeast Asia, Ruang Riung may be just a small space. But from that small space, a new imagination of togetherness begins to take shape—slowly, sincerely, and full of hope.