The Queen

2025|Media Campuran (Microscopic phytoplankton and figurative print on fabric)|310 x 147 cm

This two-dimensional work combines digital microscopic prints of phytoplankton on fabric with embroidered figurative imagery, creating a layered visual dialogue between the microscopic and the monumental. The background image, captured through digital microscopy, presents phytoplankton as fundamental agents of life: fragile organisms that sustain the Earth’s ecosystems through oxygen production and marine food chains. Their magnified forms evoke a tension between scientific observation and cosmic abstraction. Overlaying this field is the visual figure of Tribhuwana Tunggadewi, the powerful queen of the Majapahit Empire (14 century). Reimagined through a contemporary visual language, her presence symbolizes feminine strength, authority, and resilience. Traditionally , the women figure signifies purity and spiritual awakening of mother earth. Based on data provided by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), women and children are fourteen times more likely to die than men during disasters caused by the effects of global climate change. By bringing together a historical female figure of power and microscopic life forms, the work bridges scales of space and time, from a sacred, women figure to invisible aquatic organisms. Through the convergence of tradition, science, and speculative futurism, the artwork reflects upon ecological fragility while simultaneously engaging with cultural memory. The work questions humanity’s relationship with nature and suggests that the symbolic wisdom embedded within ancestral heritage may hold urgent relevance in confronting the environmental crises of the present and future.

Indah Arsyad

Jakarta • Indonesia

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Indah Arsyad memadukan latar belakang arsitektur dan teknologi lingkungan dengan praktik seni kontemporer yang berbasis riset. Lulusan Universitas Trisakti ini memperdalam praktik artistiknya bersama Teguh Ostenrik di Studio Bilik3Dharma, pengalaman yang membentuk pendekatan kreatifnya dalam merespons isu-isu kehidupan urban, pencemaran lingkungan, dan relasi manusia dengan alam. Praktik artistiknya mencakup karya dua dan tiga dimensi dengan beragam medium, seperti lukisan, fotografi, patung, video, dan instalasi. Selain aktif berpameran di Indonesia maupun mancanegara, Indah juga berkolaborasi dengan Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) dalam proyek-proyek yang mengeksplorasi persoalan pencemaran lingkungan melalui pendekatan seni. Keterlibatan tersebut memperlihatkan upayanya menjembatani seni, sains, dan kesadaran ekologis dalam ruang dialog yang kritis. Pameran tunggalnya meliputi The Ultimate Breath di Weltmuseum, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (2025–2026), Ocean's Whispers di Galeri Cemara 6–Museum Toeti Heraty (2023), dan On the Way di Museum Nasional Indonesia (2008). Ia juga menggelar pameran duo Butterfly di Galeri Nasional Indonesia (2019) dan Darkness di Museum Cemara (2015). Karya-karyanya telah hadir dalam berbagai ajang internasional, termasuk Klima Biennale Wien, ARTJOG, London Art Biennale, Bienal Internacional Cueva de las Manos di Argentina, serta pameran di Singapura, Korea Selatan, Filipina, Tiongkok, dan India.