Tiga Pasang Tangan - Three Pairs of Hands
‘Three Pairs of Hands’, the phrase proposed by Mella Jaarsma as the title of her solo exhibition, is inspired by the activity of processing sago palm trunks into sago starch by people in the interior regions of Papua. The activity of processing raw food materials is seen as representing the idea that Mella wants to emphasize through this exhibition, namely food politics. Following Vandana Shiva, Mella also sees food issues as closely related to women. Initially, the food processing system was centered on women: where production, processing, and provision became the domain of women. However, such roles have shifted from women to corporations driven by 'capitalist-patriarchal' logic. Corporations have control over the food production chain, from seeds to our dining tables. For example, the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE), which cleared the customary forests of the Marind Tribe to create palm oil industrial areas and food security. The Marind Tribe community lost their previously abundant daily food sources. Or more recently, similar programs in Kalimantan (food estate), which recklessly convert forests into agricultural land. Under the guise of addressing food crises, directly or indirectly, various changes have been brought about around us. Local knowledge related to agricultural cycles is being replaced by smart farming (digital agriculture), agricultural cultural practices and shifting consumption patterns, leading to ecological crises. Mella seeks to respond to these changes through the works she will present in this exhibition. She looks at what has existed before but has shifted due to the 'capitalist-patriarchal' logic in the process of food production and processing. With that starting point, Mella aims to create space to discuss the issues we face today. The ideas raised by Mella are translated into various types of works, from drawings, videos, and installations using diverse materials: whether natural materials such as pandanus leaves, barkcloth, coconut shells, straw, or found objects and textiles. These works are a combination of old and new works considered to represent the issues raised in this exhibition. At the exhibition opening, there will also be a performance by Zuhdi Siswanto, Gispa Ferdidanda, and Idha Saraswati. The performance is an interactive dialogue on ecological issues and is part of Mella's latest installation work ‘Blanket Talks’.
