Mulyana: Vital Ecosystems

Mulyana: Vital Ecosystems transforms the museum into an imaginative underwater landscape inspired by Indonesia’s stunning coral reef ecosystem. Acclaimed fiber artist Mulyana (b. 1984, Bandung, Indonesia) hand knits and crochets intricate sculptures using recycled yarn from textile factories and plastic bags from the food delivery industry. His community-based practice is embedded in Indonesia’s rich textile and folklore traditions and engages with pressing global social and environmental issues, like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The largest global bleaching event, caused by increased ocean temperatures and pollution, has now harmed 84 percent of the world’s coral reefs, leaving them vulnerable to disease and death. Despite this knowledge, the ocean can seem like a distant place, one that invokes mystery and awe but remains disconnected from daily life.

In Mulyana’s fantastical reimagining of a biodiverse reef environment, we are exposed to the beauty and precarity of the ocean and our relationship to it. We encounter an assemblage of textile corals, fish, and other aquatic life alongside coral-encrusted figures and monster-like creatures that collapse distinctions between people and nature. They shift our perspective, subtly inviting reflection on our own identities. As we navigate an ecological cycle of harmony, growth, decay, and decline, we must confront our impact on the planet—both positive and negative—and are reminded of the deep connection between human wellbeing and the vitality of the ocean.

Support for this exhibition has been generously provided by Susan C. Thrasher, the Eskenazi Museum of Art Special Projects Fund, Brenda J. Wampler, Jeff Franklin, and the Brabson Family Foundation.