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Ke-Tubuh-an
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 27th June 2023
Artist: Rianti Gautama
Medium: video, wax, textile
Object number: MISC.2023.1169.CC.1-2
Description1. video
2. textile
Video of performance and textile produced as part of the performance. Description from the artist: In Ke-tubuh-an, Rianti explores womanhood through tradition, tubuh (the body), and female body roles. Ke-tubuh-an is loosely translated into the body experience; embodiment; or, in this work, refers to female body experience, roles, and function. This work is a 5-day continuous performance in which Rianti performed for 1 hour daily. Using the membatik (by using) melted wax to create paterns or writing as dye-resist) technique, Rianti wrote her thoughts and struggles about her complex experiences on womanhood, tradition, gender roles, and body agency.
During her performance, Rianti contemplated what her body meant for her being and identity as a woman. Her performance is her way of overcoming her batle with preconceived ideas, body changes, growth, and femininity and accepting the complexity of her existence as a woman. This batle is portrayed when she ties the textile every time she finishes writing around her body, gradually restricting her movement. Throughout the performance, Riant slowly shows changes in her writing that progressively become clearer and more focused day by day. From the big writing with no clear sentence on day 1 to small writing in complete sentences by the end of day 5. She also finishes each day's performance by freeing herself from the textiles that piled around her like a nest.
Language is an essential part of this work, given that there are nuances and power that cannot be – or even impossible to be – translated into English. There is another word in Indonesian directly translated into "body". However, "tubuh" refers to the body as a whole: external, internal, mental, and spiritual.
This performance is meant to be a journey that has yet to be finished and probably will never be finished. At some point in the future, Rianti intends to perform this work again, considering the changes in her body, within age, are still ongoing.
2. textile
Video of performance and textile produced as part of the performance. Description from the artist: In Ke-tubuh-an, Rianti explores womanhood through tradition, tubuh (the body), and female body roles. Ke-tubuh-an is loosely translated into the body experience; embodiment; or, in this work, refers to female body experience, roles, and function. This work is a 5-day continuous performance in which Rianti performed for 1 hour daily. Using the membatik (by using) melted wax to create paterns or writing as dye-resist) technique, Rianti wrote her thoughts and struggles about her complex experiences on womanhood, tradition, gender roles, and body agency.
During her performance, Rianti contemplated what her body meant for her being and identity as a woman. Her performance is her way of overcoming her batle with preconceived ideas, body changes, growth, and femininity and accepting the complexity of her existence as a woman. This batle is portrayed when she ties the textile every time she finishes writing around her body, gradually restricting her movement. Throughout the performance, Riant slowly shows changes in her writing that progressively become clearer and more focused day by day. From the big writing with no clear sentence on day 1 to small writing in complete sentences by the end of day 5. She also finishes each day's performance by freeing herself from the textiles that piled around her like a nest.
Language is an essential part of this work, given that there are nuances and power that cannot be – or even impossible to be – translated into English. There is another word in Indonesian directly translated into "body". However, "tubuh" refers to the body as a whole: external, internal, mental, and spiritual.
This performance is meant to be a journey that has yet to be finished and probably will never be finished. At some point in the future, Rianti intends to perform this work again, considering the changes in her body, within age, are still ongoing.