Cerita Hantu

Dolanan was a group exhibition I initiated in 2018, inspired by the Javanese word for playing and the spirit of playfulness. Held at Uma Seminyak, Bali, the exhibition coincided with National Children’s Day, creating a vibrant setting for both artworks and community engagement. The participating artists also hosted workshops for children. Monez, known for his distinctive monster characters, led a charcoal drawing workshop while Uncle Joy, a graffiti artist, and I facilitated a mask-making session. These activities were supported by Lagilagi Bali—an upcycling brand that produces charcoal from waste materials—and TONDO, an art supply store.

My installation, Cerita Hantu (meaning “ghost stories”), explored the exhibition’s theme through a playful yet critical lens. The work comprised thirty individual terracotta head sculptures and four mixed-media pieces titled Cerita Hantu, Cerita Hantu di Sekolah, Mind Your Head, and Batman Kasandung. The terracotta heads drew inspiration from traditional Indonesian masks that many urban viewers often find eerie or unsettling. Through these forms, each piece reflects on how perceptions are shaped, whether they are grounded in facts or influenced by biased thought, cultural memory, or societal expectations. With their stark black-and-white tones, crooked smiles, and bursts of laughter, the works explore fear, prejudice, and generational trauma with a sense of humour and lightness. 

In its July 2018 edition, The Jakarta Post featured Dolanan, offering readers an early glimpse into the exhibition and its underlying ideas.