BAKI
Tray by Renate RetnoArtist Statement Inspired by the song “Gendjer-gendjer” by Muhammad Arief (1942), which tells of rural communities forced to survive on genjer plants during wartime scarcity, I created a small tray from found materials as a response to limited resources and limited freedom. At that time, Indonesian design was driven by colonial urgency and propaganda, prioritising function over expression, while movements like the Bauhaus shaped global modernist trends. This contrast invites speculation: without colonial pressure, perhaps Indonesian women could have created beyond survival. To be able to craft freely, guided by desire rather than necessity.