Meronce

Beading

2017

Collaborative performance with Janti Kusumowardani (artist’s mother) and Aprilia Ramadhani (artist’s sister)

Performance and installation

3-hour performance in seven days

Installation dimensions variable

Museum Sejarah Jakarta

JIWA: Jakarta Biennale 2017

Acknowledgement

Melati Suryodarmo

Meronce is a maternal collaboration between the artist, her mother and sister. Performed as a pair at a time, the two white-dressed performers weaved glass beads into a single long strand of string. The artist started with one end while her pair occupied the other as they simultaneously worked together in unison.

The work is inpired by the role of caregivers who are providers of unconditional love and interdependency. The maternal relationship among the three performers were inherently strong, evident by their focused gesture, intimate gaze and harmony. It was at the same time a process of recovery, a ponder towards the cathartic values of art towards healing from traumas. Through empathy, the artist believes in the possibility of cure.

Whilst the artist designed the work to fit into sterile and neutral spaces, the premier of this work was interestingly curated responding to a communal historical dinner from the mural in the background. It was for her, empathetically restorative.