Stories

Pos Udara

I used to write lots of letters as a way of understanding how my perception of myself relates to my view of the outside world. This fascination towards the poetry of epistolary is not just about recognising one’s personality but about consciously trying—often for the first time—to establish a connection between how one values oneself and how one sees the world around them (Sennett, 2021).

Senja

Having a journal from 1997, since I was 23, helps me reflect. Growing up, I experienced dreams, and these visions would come to reality.

Made in Java

Since childhood, I have had a deep appreciation for postal correspondence. This inspired me to collect postage stamps and vintage labels. I found their nostalgic charms intriguing.

Amoi

Hello! My name is Amoi, a little dragon from Java raised by a human I call Mommy.

Roekmini van Jepara

Roekmini (1880-1951), the younger sister of the renowned Kartini from Jepara. Roekmini was a Javanese heroine who championed women’s rights through her work in wood carving and education. During her lifetime, the Dutch colonial government constrained Javanese noblewomen, depriving them of their identities and power.

Unremembered

This artwork depicts the overlooked historical narrative of noble female warriors in Java, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Ragam Ni Si Marian

The novel ‘Ragam Ni Si Marian’, written by Kartini Sjahrir, based on research conducted in the Netherlands and Indonesia, is a work of fiction interwoven with social, political, economic, and inter-racial conflict facts during the colonial period from 1900 to the post-independence year of 1956.

Perempuan-perempuan Perkasa

‘Perempuan-perempuan Perkasa’ serves as an inspiring introduction for historians to delve deeper into the history of Indonesia from the mid-18th century to the modern era, using new approaches.

Kaget

Every life form begins with love. As the first strokes of sun rays travel to fill every inch of space with a cosmic kindness, darkness slowly bids farewell. Sleeping creatures start to awaken their sensory, absorbing energy and transferring warmth to one another making the earth beneath a happier ground.

Joy

‘Joy’ is a small fragment of a new epistolary graphic novel that I intend to publish in 2024. Java entered a dark era after the war (1825-1830), where our culture underwent euphemism.

Goodwill

Once upon a full moon in Java, a kind rabbit lived in the deep forest with a pack of friends, including a monkey, an otter, and a wolf. The rabbit and his friends prayed to the Gods that night. Each offered compassion, but the rabbit secretly promised to sacrifice his body to anybody needing food. The rabbit’s wish was so genuine that it echoed to the sky and reached nirvana. The sun God decided to test the rabbit’s goodwill and disguised himself as a lost and hungry Brahmana.

Scaramouche

This textile edition is my visual exploration of the sarong motif worn by Bagong, the playful figure or ‘Scaramouche’ from Javanese mythology. The comedians in Wayang theatre or cultures outside Indonesia generally wear black and white isometric textile patterns. Based on this research, I developed a contemporary isometric design for the sarong worn by comedian characters from the silent story series I am working on.