In this performance, the artist wears a black
dress and white shoes, and holds a basin of black
liquid which is the substitute of ink. She sips
from the basin and spits out the ink. Her face
becomes splattered with the black liquid. She
groans deep gutteral sounds of despair. Eins
und Eins is inspired by Melati’s comparison of a
nation to a human body with functioning organs,
where repressive conditions can result in the
body holding onto aggression and unease before
eventually physically purging these emotions
in the form of nausea, vomit and excretion.
The result is strangely aesthetic and can be seen
to draw on histories of ink painting and especially
calligraphy with its underlying relationship to
language. In the same way, a nation consisting of
hundreds of millions of oppressed people with
restricted rights tends to produce a similarly
explosive reaction in the form of a rebellion
or revolution.

Director Documentary: Fendi Siregar
Photographer: Sapta Hudaya, Muel
Producer Production: Gembong Hardian
Client: Museum Macan
Year: 2017