Sumba Series

Created during a 2025 residency at Cap Karoso, the Sumba Series is embedded in Sumba’s sacred landscapes, ancestral rhythms, and the living wisdom of Marapu tradition. Travelling across the land and learning directly from Sumbanese artisans, I worked using materials gathered from the land, including mahogany bark, taramanu wood, yay mall, and a deep red pigment drawn from the betel chewing ceremony. In Sumba, the betel nut is more than a plant; it is a symbol of respect, connection, and life’s cycles. It is shared in gatherings, woven into ceremonies, and offered in rituals that honour the earth, ancestors, and community. Working with this pigment meant working with a living tradition, one that carries the pulse of renewal and the deep bonds between people and land. These works are built through slow, intuitive processes of dyeing, soaking, staining, and layering. The series reflects the unpredictability of natural materials and the rhythms of tradition, inviting quiet reflection on impermanence, patience, and connection.