If you took Elami and Co to Japan, which season and important event should we not miss?
Kyoto Experiment! If I’m not mistaken, it is held every summer.
And definitely Naoshima! Imagine an island with different artworks exhibited. They will give you a map so you know where the artworks are. So you can explore the island and enjoy the artwork. One of the famous artworks is from Yayoi Kusama, it’s installed at the beach. Sometimes, you have to come into an ancient house to find artwork too. This annual festival is a must-visit. The island is also surrounded by small islands with limited boat schedules to cross. So you have to make sure you have the two-way ticket and watch your time. It’s like Nusa Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan only Naoshima is filled with art that is built close to the village.
I went there once when I was in college and want to go back. Especially because I have been creating more artworks now. I wonder how it feels to visit again.
What was the best experience you’ve had from your creative circle in Bali and/or Indonesia?
Pegang-pegang Exhibition in December 2020! I remember Sharon Angelia , my collaborator in the exhibition, and I had weekly meetings. We didn't talk about the concept or what we wanted to create. We shared things we were interested in during those weeks and responded to each other. Then we made a space and just put things together. Following ideas that just popped on our head, like a photoshoot with a man from a market. We made appointments and while waiting for the date to come, I made a costume for him. Also a photoshoot with a long-nailed man. He’s a tailor! He was cutting fabric when I visited him on shoot day. After the photoshoots were done, I continued to work on the chair.
The process started 3 months before the exhibition. That was the first time I worked with furniture experts. Definitely not easy to build a chair. I posted in my Instagram story that I need volunteers to help me. I mentioned that it would be dirty since they need to work with sandpaper and resin. I was surprised that some people DMed me and barely knew each other. There was one volunteer who came every day of a 9 days process. Woah, I thank him very much. I was also feeling a bit uneasy because I wanted to give something to him and I don’t know what and how. But it turned out to be a chill and fun process . We shared ideas and hung out at work. I gained so much from it. I learn how to work with people, communicate my ideas, how to keep the team focused and the process enjoyable. I was so focused on what I did too. The most pleasant thing was that friends came to the site to see the process, they shared it on social media, documented it, and helped! I feel supported.
After all the process, I can still remember how stiff my body was. I was so focused that I worked from 9AM to 10PM everyday. I just took a work day off on Sunday. I feel so cool that I could do that. I would never imagine my body can endure that much work. I was satisfied with the outcomes. The work quality could be much better, but its process has become a precious journey for me. And I feel it was enough. Sometimes I don’t know where to bring this feeling of excitement when the opening exhibition day comes. I still have the adrenaline rush from the process with me.
When I make an artwork, there are always stories and memories. But when they are installed, and people come and see them, I don’t feel the feeling is comparable to how the process was. That’s why I often question myself, do I create my art in an interactive way to accommodate the whole mood so as not to lose the euphoria? Or my art is not enough for me to feel the joy of having the exhibition because it hasn’t reached the most interactive way it could be? Or should I explore more at the exhibition event?! Like for example the festival on an island I mentioned before. I’d like to have an exhibition like that instead of in the white box installed on the wall. I want my art to be close to people.