The Papaya Inspiration
$2,200.00
The Papaya Inspiration is featured in aNERDgallery’s exhibition inVISIBLE: Exploring and Redefining Femininity Through Batik, in partnership with Together-Gether SG.
inVISIBLE Exhibition Artwork Label
Like its taste, papaya leaves represent the bitter end of the fight and tenacity in a woman’s life. Cast aside due to its bitterness, these leaves are packed with vitamins for human body. The whole papaya is full of merits. Other than its flowers and seeds, the fruit is a source of life that is sweet, nurturing and wholesome.
Curator's Note
Tjiplies shared that she used to hate the papaya leaves stew due to the bitter taste. However, as she grows up, she does not just get used to it, she loves it. “Oh, it is a natural mosquito repellant too. My blood so bitter that the mosquitos do not come near me,” she added.
Commissioned for the exhibition, Tjiplies choose the papaya leaves as the subject of the artwork to represent “Rising above the ashes”. Many are familiar with the papaya fruits and here, the artist wanted to highlight the leaves and the flowers, the parts that are often discarded and disregarded. The leaves are the centrepiece drawn against the dainty papaya flowers scattered on the background.
Drawn on Shantung silk, the artist has to be very precise when applying wax and dyes on this medium. The fluid nature of wax may seep into the cloth and the smooth surface of silk may hinder the seepage of the wax. The colours from silk-dyes are soft, overlapped and blended in a very precise manner. Wax removal was carefully done with a steaming iron to prevent damage to the cloth and to give the precision that cannot be obtained with the regular technique of using boiling water. Due to the complex colouring system, the work involves more than 20 cycles of waxing, colouring and wax removal.
This art piece is paired with an elegant hanging rod, ready to be hung as a centrepiece in the living room or study room.
- Size: 75 cm x 125 cm (29.5” x 49.2”)
- Material: Silk dye on Shantung silk
- Pattern: Papaya leaves
- Technique: Hand-drawn batik
- Production Area: East Java, Indonesia
- Year of Production: 2018
Listing last update: 16 May 2018.
