TANAHKU KAYA,
RAKYATNYA MISKIN
‘Tanahku kaya, Rakyatnya miskin” means my land is rich but the people are poor. This is most prevalent in the case of Papua. Many tribes live in poverty despite owning the land. When the Grasberg mine was discovered, the tribe was banished from their land, which they believe to be sacred so that foreigners can export gold and copper. The cenderawasih bird reflects this situation, they are admired for their beauty but also hunted down for it.
Natural Dye
The exploration of natural dye came from the Huli tribe, one of the hundreds of tribes in Papua. The tribe is particularly famous for their face paint, usually, a vibrant yellow or red to represent bravery.
PRINTS
The print ideas came from a popular Papuan craft, which is the Amungme tribe wood carving. Traditionally, these carvings are made for heroic people of the tribe or to honor their ancestors.
Paintings on organza
The idea of wanting to create a painting on organza came from the idea of wanting to create some sort of depiction of ancestors. When doing research on Papuan tribes, I find a lot of them deeply respect their ancestor. I wanted to physically show that. I looked a lot at how people usually conceptualize spirits. Organza creates that looks translucent and when stacked it could be interpreted as some sort of lineage
