By intersecting political intrigue, with the obligation of transferring cultural knowledge to future generations, artist Pinkygurl explores identity, a mother’s creative power and plight.
As the creator and nurturer of life, the mother’s primary obligation is to her child. However, her mission reaches far beyond this and is becoming increasingly complex within a patriarchal society in an unparalleled age of global economic and sociopolitical turmoil. Bali-based emerging artist and fashion designer Manda Selena, AKA Pinkgurl, advocates as a young mother, she must embody warrior instincts and her guardian angel spirit to ensure the survival of her child. This archetypal energy is the foundation for a uniquely Indonesian contemporary art piece, ‘Tumpengan Instinct’.
Manda’s eccentric, multi-layered, large-scale installation within the raw concrete interior of a gutted shop space in Kuta results from two years of research; her narrative style derived from her ancient storytelling culture. The work is inspired by the ceremonial Javanese banquet Tumpengan. The feast is identified by the cone-shaped yellow rice symbolizing the sacred mountain and the dwelling of the ancestors and gods, with seven accompanying dishes representing support and safety. Tumpengan bestows virtuous blessings upon an individual and signifies Pinkgurl’s prayers, aspirations and wisdom she wishes to impart upon her baby daughter.
A mother’s warrior amour as described within Tumpengan instinct by Pinkygurl
Four large, drooping paintings depict a mother’s journey from gestation to birth and then the child’s formative years. Inspired by the magical Balinese cloth drawings, rerajahan, line pictures, symbolic text referencing Javanese mysticism and Islamic script narrates Pinkgurl’s story. The finale is an image of triumph, having imparted her knowledge upon the growing child. The figures are light-hearted, depicted as pop culture icons, Teletubbies. A representation of an angel divides the dual facetted installation; the counterpart, however is not docile and embodies a mother’s defense mechanism.
The focal piece is a futuristic chest plate armour with six arms gesturing mudras and peace signs akin to a Hindu goddess. The fingernails are equipped with menacing blade-like tips. Configurations of knives and celurit (sickles) signify the need to fortify wisdom through knowledge transfer. An undercurrent of violence is ever-present. In a hostile world where everyone is vulnerable, sharing moral and cultural values is essential to sustaining our lifeforce.
Pinkygurl’s weapons to protect the transfer of knowledge
“During my pregnancy, I researched the origins and nutrition of our daily food. I wondered why rice is Indonesia’s most widely consumed carbohydrate, despite the other more nutritious options,” Pinkygurl explained to the Jakarta Post. “Rice is inherently political, amplified by the false ideology of “ga kenyang kalo ga makan nasi” (“won’t get full without rice”). This idiom has practically Javanized the whole Indonesian territory.”
Educated at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, NAFA, Singapore, a background in fashion informs Pinkygurl’s art. Via her obsession with the body and art as a type of figurative framework, she explores identity through an array of masks, armour and weapons. Her childhood addiction to fantasy and sci-fi video games and films describes her razor-sharp aesthetics. Manda’s paradox of the cute and the macabre dredges up subterranean thoughts and desires of the collective and individual unconscious.
Tumpengan Instinct, installation view
“Orde Baru (the New Order Regime of the former President Suharto 1966-1998) imposed far-reaching changes upon Indonesian agriculture. Globalization transformed the traditional circular farming economy into high yielding production, degrading the soil and food quality with giant profits to the corporations,” said Pinkygurl, born in Jakarta in 1994 and has resided in Bali since her mid-teens. “The outcome of this intervention was dependency upon government subsidized toxic American fertilizers enforced upon farmers by the nation’s military.”
“Indonesia’s biased political mechanism marginalizes the masses. However, the stories we share with our family and community become empowering tools for social change. Our daily food choices are a simple yet fundamental economic right. They can become our political voice through acts of resistance against a monopolizing regime,” stated Pinky, whose work is one chapter of ‘Kejawan Kolossal Fantasy’, an ongoing manifestation of installations and performances.
“Manda is critical and courageous in the face of society’s stigmas against women,” stated curator Fauzi Lyanda who commissioned ‘Tumpengan Instinct’ for ‘Ruang Baur Seni: Fraksi Epos Gotong Lorong’, an art happening held from February through March, 2022 at South Beach Discovery Mall at Kuta Beach. “She presents fresh space for the deconstruction of cultural issues, providing new understandings that become extraordinary.”
“After university, I started a streetwear brand only to discontinue because I didn’t enjoy the process of making ready-to-wear clothes. The fashion industry functions only upon the surface level,” stated Manda. “Now, I create one-of-a-kind fashion items for my husband’s international brand ‘Ican Harem’. Our brand is our identity and a beacon of light to our audience. As artists, we seek deeper meaning in our clothing, merging the inner and outer experience to create contemporary narratives for a bold new creative generation.”
Fashion by Pinkygurl
“I fell in love with the weirdness of Pinkygurl’s art and had to collect some of her clothing – the element of cuteness is immediately attractive,” said Madame Priscilla, a PR & Marketing consultant living in Jakarta. “She triggers a confusion rarely experienced, which some may find disturbing. Her uniqueness touches and challenges aspects deep within the subconscious; childhood and sexuality.”
Fresh and imaginative mediums of knowledge transfer evolve hand-in-hand with our species. As a result, they increasingly determine the future of cultural wisdom, especially in an era when modernity is all-consuming. Pinkygurl highlights the relevance of contemporary art as a communication mode between the generations – inventive storytelling for the new paradigm.
Fashion by Pinkygurl
Instagram:pinkygurl_bali
Words: Richard Horstman
Images courtesy of Pinkygurl & Richard Horstman
Follow Richard on Instagram @lifeasartasia
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