This isn’t new for Bulan, who grew up with a father who practiced the indigenous religion of Sunda Wiwitan, which was forbidden by Indonesia’s authoritarian government. Soon after he died, she says, she began to explore her own spiritual journey, eventually renaming herself Hai Rembulan (“Hello, Moon”). She believes the moon plays a crucial role in her significant life events.
Bulan and some friends opened Kongsi 8 in 2022 to create a gathering space for women and gender minority artists to create and sell art. But the art didn’t generate enough income, so they expanded to include a canteen and sell secondhand items.
The space, a historically significant location, occupies an area where looting and violence erupted during the 1998 riots, which were largely set off by financial crises and widespread corruption. People of Chinese descent were targeted, including via the mass rape of women. The Soehart regime collapsed in part due to the unrest.
