ABOUT
Who We Are
Stateless Mind is an artist-initiated platform for artistic exchange, research and collaboration. While its projects take different forms—from exhibitions and residencies to publications and public programmes—they are connected by a shared belief that artistic practice emerges through time, place and relationships.
Stateless Mind is not a fixed institution. It continues to evolve through collaborations between artists, curators, researchers and communities across different cultural and geographical contexts.
The Bridge Called Jambatan
The origins of Stateless Mind can be traced to Jambatan—the Malay word for bridge—an independent platform founded by interdisciplinary artist Amir Zainorin and anthropologist Pia Lund Poulsen.
Jambatan was established to create opportunities for artistic exchange between Malaysia, Denmark and wider international contexts. Rather than waiting for institutional support, it developed through self-initiated projects and long-term collaborations that connected artists, curators, researchers and communities across different cultures.
Over time, these collaborations demonstrated that meaningful artistic exchange depended not only on creating projects, but on creating the conditions in which relationships, dialogue and artistic practice could continue to grow.
From this understanding, Stateless Mind emerged—not as a replacement for Jambatan, but as its natural evolution.
Where Jambatan built bridges, Stateless Mind asks what becomes possible once people have crossed them.
From Festival to Platform
Stateless Mind began with the first Stateless Mind Festival in Copenhagen in 2019.
Between 2019 and 2023, festivals in Copenhagen and Venice brought together artists, curators and participants to explore migration, identity, displacement, memory, diaspora and decolonisation—not as abstract concepts, but as lived experiences shaped by movement across cultures and geographies.
The festivals were artist-initiated, collaborative and developed independently through long-term relationships rather than institutional structures. Each edition responded to its own context while creating new opportunities for dialogue and exchange.
As these collaborations continued, it became clear that the most enduring outcomes were not the festivals themselves, but the relationships that continued long after they had ended.
Rather than continuing as a series of temporary events, Stateless Mind gradually evolved into an ongoing platform supporting artistic research, exhibitions, residencies, publications and public engagement.
Today
Today, Stateless Mind continues to develop through three interconnected initiatives:
Stateless Mind Pavilion
An evolving platform for exhibitions, performances and public engagement across different places and contexts.
Stateless House
A place for living, research and artistic exchange in Bohor Jani, Langkawi, where everyday life becomes part of artistic practice.
PACAK
A public programme that brings together residencies, workshops, publications and the annual PACAK Festival through long-term artistic exchange.
Together, these initiatives reflect Stateless Mind's continuing commitment to artistic practice rooted in generosity, curiosity and long-term relationships.
Looking Ahead
Stateless Mind is an evolving practice rather than a fixed institution.
It continues to grow through new collaborations, new places and new conversations, remaining open to the people, ideas and experiences that shape its future.
Timeline
2008
Jambatan
Independent platform for artistic exchange
↓
2019–2023
Stateless Mind Festivals
Copenhagen & Venice
↓
2024–
Stateless Mind Pavilion
Exhibitions • Performances • Public Engagement
↓
2026–
Stateless House
Living • Research • Exchange
↓
2026–
PACAK
Residencies • Festival • Publications
↓
Ongoing
Future Collaborations
