David Morris

David Morris is a research fellow and editor at Afterall Research Centre. His work explores different approaches to artistic research, education and exhibition, with a focus on experimental and collective practice. His publications include Schizo-Culture (co-edited with Sylvère Lotringer; Semiotext(e)/MIT, 2013), Artist-to-Artist: Independent Art Festivals in Chiang Mai 1992–98 (co-edited with David Teh, Afterall, 2017), Precarious Solidarities: Artists for Democracy 1974–77 (co-edited with Wing Chan; Afterall, 2023) and How to Pin Down Smoke: ruangrupa since 2000 (co-edited with Wing Chan and Arianna Mercado; Afterall, 2025). With Helena Vilalta he leads a research masters programme in Exhibition Studies at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, where he is also a trade union organiser.

Contributions

Southeast Asia | A Global Museum

Tricky Terms, Coming Together: Arianna Mercado, David Morris, and Wing Chan and Carlos Quijon, Jr. in Conversation

In recent years, the practice of the Jakarta-based collective ruangrupa has gained exceptional traction in the contemporary art world. The book How to Pin Down Smoke: ruangrupa since 2000, published in 2025 maps out the genealogy of the animated and complex ecosystem that ruangrupa has cultivated and which has shaped the trajectory of the group’s practice. Carlos Quijon, Jr talks to the volume’s editors to discuss their editorial processes and considerations.