Mancapat

An Expression of Life Through the Art of Batik Tenun Gedog

Mancapat is a philosophy; Mancapat is a structure; Mancapat is a way of life.

Mancapat refers to a set of hymns that reflects the Javanese philosophy of ‘sadulur papat kalimo pancer’ offering a cosmological worldview that guides the Javanese throughout their lives. Starting from the east as birth or a new beginning, life progresses clockwise towards maturity, death and rebirth. In Java, it is reflected in their architecture and how the community is being organised. In modern times, ‘circularity’ and ‘closing the loop’ are often associated with sustainability, an idea that questions human’s material consumption that impacts natural biodiversity and cultural heritage.

This exhibition attempts to ponder and to portray the continuity of life beyond death and preservation of memory through a combination of ethnographic textile and material collections from Kerek, Tuban, East Java, Indonesia, alongside brand new contemporary art installations by artists Agatha Lee “Agy” (Singapore), Marina Gosali (Indonesia) and Noor Iskandar (Singapore). Other than responding to the theme, the artists incorporate materials from Kerek village.

What does it exactly mean to “close this loop” to create balance when preserving heritage, biodiversity and indigenous knowledge amidst modernity and technology?

This event is organised by aNERDgallery and Sekar Kawung Foundation and is supported by National Arts Council Singapore, Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and Bank Indonesia.