It is not new for Bulan, who grew up with a father who practiced the indigenous religion of Sunday Wiwitan, who was prohibited by the authoritarian government of Indonesia. Shortly after her death, she said, she began to explore her own spiritual journey, ultimately reversing Hai Rembulan (“Hello, Moon”). She believes that the moon plays a crucial role in its important life events.
Bulan and some friends opened Kongsi 8 in 2022 to create a gathering space for women and artists of gender minorities to create and sell art. But art has not generated enough income, so they developed to include a canteen and sell used items.
Space, a historically important location, occupies an area where looting and violence broke out during the 1998 riots, which were widely triggered by financial crises and generalized corruption. People of Chinese origin were targeted, especially via the mass rape of women. The Soehart regime collapsed partly due to the troubles.