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Image courtesy of the Artist
Image courtesy of the Artist
Citra Sasmita
Vessel of Life, 2026
Painting on Kamasan canvas with woven fabric and bead and pearls
122 x 90 cm
Copyright The Artist
Citra Sasmita takes inspiration from the book Fabricating Power with Balinese Textiles (2018) by anthropologist Dr. Urmila Mohan, who wrote extensively about the historical significance of fabrics in Bali, particularly...
Citra Sasmita takes inspiration from the book Fabricating Power with Balinese Textiles (2018) by anthropologist Dr. Urmila Mohan, who wrote extensively about the historical significance of fabrics in Bali, particularly its trading history when the Dutch and British had vied for control over Bali’s port, and its later emergence into a valuable commodity for communication. Secret codes were hidden within fabrics and transported between kingdoms in the archipelago to disseminate information, much like morse codes used during wartime. With this in mind, Sasmita combines Balinese fabrics used for rituals with traditional Kamasan painting as a symbolic union of body and souls. By pairing ritual fabrics with ceremonial stone beadwork believed to radiate the Earth’s energy, Sasmita bridges cultural memory with a modern, empowered cosmology.