Mulyana - A Man, A Monster and the Sea’

The exhibition for FORM of 3000 fish, and coral islands was an ocean themed installation knitted and crocheted by Indonesian artist Mulyana in collaboration with Yogyakarta communities. Over the past decade the group of women trained by and collaborating with Mulyana, known as his Mogus family or ‘Konco Mogus’, have received income and recognition as co-creators of increasingly sophisticated and ambitious large installation works.

From the challenge of climate change to marine research and the poetic ways we imagine our place on the ocean, the exhibition’s tactile, immersive underwater-scapes illuminated the strangeness and miracle of the sea in our cultural consciousness. The exhibition emerged from Sharmila’s Asialink Arts residency. The theme also provided an entry point to explore the shared maritime heritage and oceanic links between Australia and Indonesia through cultural and artistic exchange.

Photos courtesy: Sundae Studio