Kuku Bima (Bima’s nail)
Site-specific installation & performance
Mengatasi masalah khusus, menambah semangat, gairah serta tenaga.
An outlander entering the wilds of Indonesia is placed in a new and unknown environment that induces a variety of emotions, such as : fear, surprise, awe, joy, disgust and anxiety. The only way forward is to adapt, however one must reshape his imagination, beliefs and convictions. Through a series of explorations, practices with diverse local materials and creative acts I have tried to immerse in the surrouding environment to interpret it myself.
What caught my attention were the long nails of the local men. No one would sincerely explain their symbolism. They were said to be weapons, status symbols, tools, remnants of long-forgotten traditions, or magical talismans. The neurotic need to find a one, single truth, as a form of homogenizing customs, and the Western tendency to colonize aesthetics, became a tipping point in my process of adaptation. Kuku’s Bimas has come to symbolize a reconfiguration of the perception of complexity, where a hidden subconscious mindset rooted in tribal rituals, culture, and beliefs is implicit in every action and decision.
Sesama Residency
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2020