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My name is Michaella Jarawiri
installation with 150 penis sheaths from Papua
(east Indonesia), 2 fitting rooms for men 2 DVD's
2007
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I traveled to the Baliem Valley in Papua, the Eastern part of Indonesia , where I went hunting for penis sheaths to bring back to Java. I wanted to try and get Javanese men to wear the 150 penis sheaths that I had collected, at the Yogyakarta Biennale at the end of 2007. Javanese (Moslem) culture is very dominant and often perceived as ‘the Indonesian Culture'. Although Javanese / Indonesian culture is hybrid in many aspects, it marginalizes communities and tribes in the outer provinces. Besides hunting for penis sheaths in Papua, I also invented a fictional character of a woman artist from Papua as my collaborator in this project. My collaborator's name is Michaella Jarawiri, and I made a video about ‘her' life and how she fulfilled her need to become a contemporary artist, while dealing with the reality of ancestor believes, government rulings and missionary inflictions.