The Frontiers

2012 - Batik on silk, stainless steel, teak wood, acrylic paint

photography: Mie Cornoedus

This work and some other works developed in 2011 were inspired by the Peranakan culture. The Peranakans in Indonesia created a specific culture, which is more than adding individual elements of the three main ethnicities – Chinese, Indonesian, and Dutch. 

Generations of Paranakans passed through different, often difficult, political situations in Indonesia. What does Peranakan and its local heritage mean in this global era in which Peranakan culture is declining?  This work is about appearance and absence – What we see and experience nowadays is the material culture of the Peranakan with its specific architecture, artefacts and food. In this work I got inspired by the assimilated architecture which I found in the cities along the north coast of Java.