The installation ‘Sawyers’ Dust’ is inspired by conversations with Agus Ongge, an artist from Sentani, Papua, who collaborated with me for the Jogja Biennale in 2021. Our discussions centered around the disappearing knowledge and the delicate interplay between contemporary art and tradition, where boundaries often blur. Sentani Lake, once home to the now-extinct sawfish last seen in 1974, forms a poignant backdrop for Agus Ongge’s repetitive paintings of the sawfish. This deliberate repetition aims to safeguard cultural heritage and the memory of the sawfish’s natural habitat for future generations.
In the exploration of the human-animal relationship, Sawyer’s Dust I’ incorporates horizontal animal images, symbolizing the quest for connections between humans and animals. These works suggest that animals may serve as guides or leaders for humanity.
Agus’s resistance to constant artistic renewal, lead me to ponder the role of the arts amidst the perpetual demand for new expressions in contemporary art. While modern artists often embrace novelty, Agus Ongge persists in repeating the same painting and form to address pressing issues. The irony of the sawfish’s extinction, linked to the colonial era where the saw was separated from the fish, underscores humanity’s tendency to turn objects into artifacts.
The ‘Sawyer’s Dust’ series serves The installation pays homage to tribal and community-based histories, acknowledging their significance alongside contemporary art histories in Indonesia—histories that often remain unnoticed and unexamined.