Enka Komariah interpreted Dwi Oblo’s photography archive into drawings. As a photojournalist, Oblo has had many opportunities to document important events in several regions of Indonesia, including natural and social disasters. During the pandemic, Oblo actively continued to create photographic works that captured the efforts of health workers in handling Covid-19, which in one case included the burial of victims’ bodies. Interestingly, Enka’s drawings are not just pictures on canvas. Rather, he processed them into special outfits that remind us of the hazmat suits worn by health workers during the pandemic. In the process, Enka also performed with his own version of the hazmat suit, where he travelled to several disaster sites in Yogyakarta with it. At the sites, he rang a bell with a particular beat, seemingly to evoke social memories and echo warnings of unpredictable future events.

This collaborative work approaches the issue of death and traditions in treating dead bodies. We are dealing with two kinds of interests in the vortex of funeral rites. At one moment, we are required to respect cultural obligations, but there are other moments where we must prioritize public safety by treating corpses as medical bodies. The tension between these two aspects was the point that Enka and Oblo voiced. Images store memories of life and death simultaneously, so when the images eventually change, it also indicates alterations in the way people store those memories.

INSTALLATION VIEW – Mati Sakjroning Urip, Urip Sakjroning Pati (2021-2022), photos by Dwi Oblo

Performance ELING LAN WASPADA (2021 / 2022) by Enka Komariah & Dwi Oblo

1. Performance ELING LAN WASPADA – Enka Komariah’s Studio (Photo by Kemal Yusuf).

2. Performance ELING LAN WASPADA – Tempuran Kali Opak-Oyo, Imogiri, Bantul Regency (Photo by Kemal Yusuf).

3. Performance ELING LAN WASPADA – Merapi, Cangkringan, Sleman Regency (Photo by Kemal Yusuf).

4. Performance ELING LAN WASPADA – Sasonoloyo Cemetery, Mergangsan, Yogyakarta City (Photo by Kemal Yusuf).