Catama Borneo

Catama Borneo Catama is registered as Catama Sdn Bhd (1326253-­K)

A Sarawak-based social enterprise working with rural and urban communities, artists and artisans and cultural practitioners throughout Borneo island to platform, document and experiment with traditional craft and culture Exploring contemporary approaches to Borneo’s unique creative heritage, Catama was founded in 2014 with the ambition to collaborate with craft-making and creative communities to b

ring together traditional knowledge and contemporary design and resources through craft development strategies. Over the past eight years we have worked with communities throughout Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan, as well as local and international artists, designers and makers on research and documentation, training and skill development, product innovation and creative residencies

In this time we have developed toolkits, products and systems for research, engagement and capacity building with rural and urban communities and created products, platforms and opportunities for inter-generational knowledge transfer. Our Vision
To build platforms that bring together communities, provide creative and economic opportunities and play a role in the preservation of traditional knowledge through innovation, training and creative development. To create products, experiences, approaches and co-collaborative relationships that embrace indigenous culture and knowledge as powerful tools to respond and adapt to a contemporary world.

What is counter-mapping? As eloquently explained by .rzl, its a way to push back against dominant narratives and conside...
20/07/2026

What is counter-mapping? As eloquently explained by .rzl, its a way to push back against dominant narratives and consider alternative ways to record stories, beliefs, histories and observations of place.
During the “Alternative Narratives, Alternative Futures - Counter mapping workshop” earlier this month, Cla and generously shared about their work, alongside approaches and methods for counter mapping developed in collaboration with artist . Participants were invited to create their own counter maps- to document place and change, and reimagine landscapes and possibilities. Our participants generously obliged, and we had a very long, nostalgic and powerful sharing session as each person presented their drawings.

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The countermapping workshop was held in Sugar & Rice exhibition, curated by . Featuring the work of and , and discussing relationships to land, labour and art-making

Join us for a tour of Sugar & Rice, with artist and curator !Learn about the thinking and making of the artworks, and th...
06/07/2026

Join us for a tour of Sugar & Rice, with artist and curator !

Learn about the thinking and making of the artworks, and the broader themes explored.

Curatorial Tours:
Thursday 9th and 16th July, 7.30pm
at Haus KCH Yun Phin Building, Padungan

Sugar & Rice exhibition presents land art video works and installations by Vien Valencia and Gindung Mc Feddy Simon & Catriona Maddocks, that were co-created with farming communities from Negros Occidental in the Philipines and Ranau, Sabah in Malaysia.
In both works planted crops or mechanical tools become the medium of mark-making and archiving, exploring relationship to land, communal labour, food economies and rural and urban identities.

Exhibition Opening Hours:
Wed-Fri: 12.30-6pm
Saturday: 12.30-3pm

- feel free to reach out to Catriona on 0168789074, and book an appointment if you’d like alternative visiting hours!

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Sugar & Rice is a self funded initiative undertaken by , and supported by . The installation was supported by the generous support and help of many awesome friends- thankyou for your semangat!

Sign up for this workshop on Tuesday! Only 10 spots availableAlternative Narratives, Alternative Futures- a counter-mapp...
04/07/2026

Sign up for this workshop on Tuesday! Only 10 spots available
Alternative Narratives, Alternative Futures- a counter-mapping workshop invites participants to record their experiences of the changing environment in Sarawak. It brings together diverse experiences to centre on collective memory and community empowerment, recollecting the past and archiving the present.

How have the Sarawakian people experienced the impacts of extractivism, climate change, colonial legacies on indigenous lands, or urban development? How has the changing environment affected non-human lives, such as rivers, forests, and animals?
Using visual reflections— sketched, coded, and narrated in counter-maps—we invite participants to envision alternative futures.
 
The workshop will be facilitated by architect Teresa Serrano and anthropologist Cla Ruzol.

Venue: HAUS KCH
Date: Tuesday, 7th July, 7.30pm
FREE
Registration essential: http://tinyurl.com/AlternativeNarratives

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This workshop is part of Sugar & Rice exhibition dialogue series, platforming discussions about relationship to land, community archiving and traditional knowledge systems and practice. Curated by Catriona Maddocks, presented by and supported by
This is a self-funded initiative made possible by the generosity and semangat of many friends.

Throwback to last week, hosting for an inspiring sharing session, to understand better what’s going on in the region an...
04/07/2026

Throwback to last week, hosting for an inspiring sharing session, to understand better what’s going on in the region and how we can learn from collaborate with one another.
The sharing session was held in Sugar & Rice exhibition, in new gallery space
Thankyou to Adele, Ashley, Lenette, Lucas for your generous sharing, and all our creative friends who came along to listen share and lepak!
And thanks to .kch for sponsoring drinks!

NOW OPEN: Sugar & Rice Exhibition is on at until 24th July - Come on down!Sugar & Rice exhibition presents land art vid...
02/07/2026

NOW OPEN: Sugar & Rice Exhibition is on at until 24th July - Come on down!

Sugar & Rice exhibition presents land art video works and installations by Vien Valencia and Gindung Mc Feddy Simon & Catriona Maddocks, that were co-created with farming communities from Negros Occidental in the Philipines and Ranau, Sabah in Malaysia.
In both works planted crops or mechanical tools become the medium of mark-making and archiving, exploring relationship to land, communal labour, food economies and rural and urban identities.

Opening Hours:
Wed-Fri: 12.30-6pm
Saturday: 12.30-3pm
at Haus KCH Yun Phin Building, Padungan

- feel free to reach out and book an appointment if you’d like alternative visiting hours!

Exhibition photos by
Graphic design by

-
Sugar & Rice is a self fundied initiative undertaken by , and supported by . The installation was supported by the generous support and help of many awesome friends- thankyou for your semangat!

Sugar. Rice. The first one a major industrial commodity and cash crop. The second a diet staple, tied closely to culture...
18/06/2026

Sugar. Rice. The first one a major industrial commodity and cash crop. The second a diet staple, tied closely to culture and traditional land management.

Featuring video works and installations by Vien Valencia (the Philippines), as well as Gindung Mc Feddy Simon and Catriona Maddocks (Malaysia) in collaboration with local farming communities, the Sugar & Rice exhibition centers two important crops as mediums through which we are invited to ponder relationship to land, agricultural economics, and collective memory.

Opening on the 24th June do contact us for more details!

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Sugar & Rice is the first in a series of exhibitions, talks and gatherings exploring relationships to land, shifting landscapes and ideas of return, curated by

16/06/2026

Exhibition opening next week!
Sugar & Rice - featuring land art works by Gindung McFeddy Simon (Malaysia) Catriona Maddocks (UK) and Vien Valencia (Philipines).

Featured work Pagar & Padi was grown between 2022 to 2025 in rural Ranau, Sabah by Gindung Mc Feddy Simon, Catriona Maddocks and community members from Kampung Kilimu.

Sugar & Rice Exhibition is presented by and supported by
Follow along for more info…
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Sugar & Rice is the first in a series of exhibitions, talks and gatherings exploring relationships to land, shifting landscapes and ideas of return, curated by

15/06/2026

Exhibition coming very soon!
Sugar & Rice - featuring land art works by Vien Valencia (Philipines), Catriona Maddocks (UK) and Gindung McFeddy Simon (Malaysia)

Featured work “Field Drawings” was created in 2024 in collaboration with local sugarcane farmers during Vien’s residency at Abungalow Residency Project in Talisay, Negros Occidental.

With thanks to and and community members for their support.

Sugar & Rice Exhibition presented by and supported by
Follow along for more info…
—-
Sugar & Rice is the first in a series of exhibitions, talks and gatherings exploring relationships to land, shifting landscapes and ideas of return, curated by

Baskets are used in daily life- from farming to celebration. They also carry ancestral tradition, ecological knowledge a...
03/06/2026

Baskets are used in daily life- from farming to celebration. They also carry ancestral tradition, ecological knowledge and community identity

Do you know the names of baskets made in your region?

These illustrations are featured in ARAM BEKELALA Community Engagement Guide, beautifully drawn by .balan

Available in English and Bahasa Malaysia, have you checked out the guide yet?

🔗 See link in bio, use the QR code or go to https://tinyurl.com/AramBekelala

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Aram Bekelala guide was written by Catriona Maddocks of Catama, and peer reviewed and contributed to by 14 indigenous centred organisations and individuals. This Community Engagement Guide was commissioned by the British Council Malaysia under the Human-Nature programme. Centering artistic collaboration and community engagement, the programme supports creative responses to climate challenges to highlight the role arts and culture can play in addressing climate adaptation.

Gotong Royong- to gather, to work together, to share the burden, to support the community.Such a beautiful concept to re...
02/06/2026

Gotong Royong- to gather, to work together, to share the burden, to support the community.
Such a beautiful concept to represent the significance of community collaboration in Malaysia.

When was the last time you gotong rotong?

These illustrations are featured in ARAM BEKELALA Community Engagement Guide, beautifully drawn by .balan

Available in English and Bahasa Malaysia, have you checked out the guide yet?

🔗 See link in bio, use the QR code or go to https://tinyurl.com/AramBekelala

—
Aram Bekelala guide was written by Catriona Maddocks of Catama, and peer reviewed and contributed to by 14 indigenous centred organisations and individuals. This Community Engagement Guide was commissioned by the British Council Malaysia under the Human-Nature programme. Centering artistic collaboration and community engagement, the programme supports creative responses to climate challenges to highlight the role arts and culture can play in addressing climate adaptation.

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Lot 9727, Blok 18, Daerah Salak Petrajaya, Jalan Stadium
Kuching
93050

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