‘Once Upon No Time’ and ‘Upwind - Downtempo’
By A&M

Ruth Marbun is an Indonesian artist who explores human behaviours through multiple mediums. Trained in fashion, the visual artist embraces multidisciplinary modes of artmaking, working with acrylic, etching, found objects, textiles and video to express the ideas she has about the complexity of human thought and behaviour.

Her works are currently displayed in two exhibitions, a solo titled ‘Once Upon No Time’ with Santy Saptari Art Consulting and a group show, ‘Upwind - Downtempo’ with Gajah Gallery, Yogyakarta. In this conversation, we ask Ruth about her background in fashion and her “return” to the discipline, how artist residencies have fed her practice, and all about her recent experimentations while she navigated the pandemic. We are certain you will enjoy this dialogue as much as we have!

Ruth Marbun, ‘Memory on Plate’, 2021, acrylic and pastel on canvas, 125 x 115cm. Photo by Gregorius. Image courtesy of the artist.

Hi, Ruth! Thank you for your time. Your education was in fashion, first at the London College of Fashion and then a degree in Fashion Design from the Raffles Design Institute in Singapore. How did you begin work in fine art, and how does your training and work in fashion contribute to your artistic practice?

It was actually rather accidental. Spending my early adulthood abroad meant I had no professional connection once I came back for good. It was pre-social media days, so I was shamelessly dragging my physical self out into different creative communities. As one thing led to another, I jumped in slow motion into art.

In the beginning, I used to separate the fashion me and the art me. After a while, I realised that the combination was something I could bring to the table. Now I take everything I learned in fashion and unlearn it through different perspectives in art, trying to fathom it from another angle. For instance, embroidery in general reflects delicateness, perfection and beauty. In my artistic approach, I see and use the repetitiveness of embroidery as a language of persistence. It embodies the idea of being stronger together. I also intentionally use tensions and irregularity as a proposition towards subjective circumstances and situational values, and see how different approaches serve different purposes.

“In the beginning, I used to separate the fashion me and the art me. After a while, I realised that the combination was something I could bring to the table. Now I take everything I learned in fashion and unlearn it through different perspectives in art, trying to fathom it from another angle.”

Could you talk about your studio and shop Bollu in Kemang in Jakarta Selatan? Do you still have it, or how has it morphed?

It has morphed into a hiatus! I had to concentrate on the art track for these couple of years. Bollu started as a playground where I made visually appealing goods to wear or use to serve my personal taste. It was straightforward and engendered good feelings. Looking back, having Bollu created a wider engagement with my works, because through design, it was less intimidating for people to connect compared to, let’s say, work in a gallery. It was good practice to express myself without overthinking.

Ruth Marbun, ‘ Product of Contradiction (Exhibit C)’, 2018, watercolour, cotton paper, embroidery, ink, textile, 63 x 80cm. Photo by Bisma Putra. Image courtesy of the artist.

For your solo exhibition ‘*Terms and Conditions Apply’ at Clear Gallery Tokyo in 2018, we see deconstructed figures and family portraits, and again in the mixed media installation ‘One is A Million’ at the ‘#Perempuan’ exhibition in Melbourne in December 2018. What is it about the human condition that intrigues you and continually feeds your practice?

The connection and correlation that we make internally and externally as humans. Life is so grand and fundamental at the same time. I am interested and drawn to paradoxes. I guess it is what keeps us interesting and frustrating in equal parts as a species.

What have artist residences such as at Rimbun Dahan, a private arts centre in Malaysia (February 2019) and the AGA Lab printmaking studio in Amsterdam (February 2020) individually and collectively given to your practice?

It is important for my practice in art to keep in touch with unknowns. Unfamiliarity keeps all of the senses on alert. I like that feeling, in the right amount. Artist residencies are a good exercise in adapting, detaching and connecting with various landscapes and society in general, and keeps one grounded. In this way, craftsmanship and production of works become secondary. Instead, bringing home new perspectives becomes the best takeaway.

Ruth Marbun, ‘Discourage Fear’, 2019, textile, hand embroidery, acrylic, permanent marker, dacron, varied dimensions. Photo by Rio Prasetia. Image courtesy of the artist.

You work across multiple mediums, including etching, which you picked up in Amsterdam. Are there ones that you are more comfortable working in than others? And what more would you like to experiment with?

I am most comfortable making paintings and textile works– but that is where the danger lies as well. Going back and forth with new mediums keeps everything excitingly on the edge.

Recently, I have been making video works and now I have become interested in sound: collecting found sounds and fictional script readings, and stitching them with various kinds of visuals. I am excited about how it creates narrations differently from a painting or other visuals I make. I wish I were better with technologies but perhaps it is also a good reason to go out and to collaborate, to seek other minds. I need to stop doing everything on my own!

You’ve worked with Santy Saptari Art Consulting a number of times, including for ‘Tomorrow is Tomorrow’ (August 2020), which was very different in its approach at the time as an all-digital exhibition. What was the transition like, and how did the experience prepare you for your work in the pandemic days that followed?

Well, this is exactly why I started doing videos. First, at the time, it felt like nothing mattered more than staying alive, so I became less guarded– I wanted to experiment and go out of the lane because nobody had the energy to judge anyone. We were happy enough to see each other staying alive, and making new works. It was a very forgiving phase that I gladly took advantage of.

Second, as the platforms are going digital, for me, it was like moving house. The previous furniture won’t fit seamlessly because realistically it’s a whole different dimension. Being open to adjustment is energy saving and easier than fighting it.

I am trying hard to hold on to these feelings as the world is currently getting back on track and its fast pace. I think having the courage to create for the sake of making and to just keep going is valuable but often forgotten.

“… I became less guarded– I wanted to experiment and go out of the lane because nobody had the energy to judge anyone. We were happy enough to see each other staying alive, and making new works. It was a very forgiving phase that I gladly took advantage of.”

You’ve talked about the importance of imperfections and going with the flow in your practice in interviews. How does Sisasisa Studio express these ideas?

Sisasisa Studio came from my reflection of how much waste my practice creates but at the same time I understand it is part of the process that is unavoidable. I mean, I can go all earthy and minimalistic, but am I speaking my truth, or am I just feeding the guilt? I have always been working in quantity and editing it a lot, so I thought maybe I could start slow by understanding and managing the impact from my actions first, one step at a time.

Your recent work seems to directly address your experiences and emotions in the pandemic, such as with the ‘Looking Closer, Seeing Further’ (2020) series of works at 16 albermarle project space and the ‘Don’t Waste the Pain’ home kit for MACAN. Could you speak about seed ideas and execution process of these works?

2020 was weirdly optimistic for me despite all the hardships and unpredictability. It had a sense of second chances and forgiveness. Staying at home for the longest stretch, perhaps in almost everyone’s life, gave us the chance to think about what was before us. For example, I found new meanings in food and how I consume them, not only about what was healthy or not.

I think about how we were stuck behind walls, yet found ways to connect further than we can imagine before: joining classes and webinars from USA or Sulawesi, reconnecting with old friends over our mutual interest in plants, working with people from different parts of the world in pyjamas… So many things no longer mattered as much as we thought, which was weirdly relieving.

I wanted to encourage people –and myself –to start with a personal and light approach, by creating a time capsule. The home kit is a tiny help if you don’t know where to start. Hopefully, by not taking things too seriously, people will be more honest with their emotions and experience. That is where ‘Don’t Waste The Pain’ came from.

Ruth Marbun, ‘Chick Soy and Shallot Oatmeal (Portion 2)’, 2021, acrylic, pastel on canvas, irregular dimension, approx. 45 x 60 x 5cm. Photo by Bisma Putra. Image courtesy of the artist.

Your titles are stories in themselves, such as “Chicken, Soy and Shallot Oatmeal (portion 1, portion 2)” (2021) which you showed at Art Agenda Jakarta as part of ‘Inside Out/Outside In’ in October 2021 featuring third culture artists. Tell us about how you come up with titles, and how the role they play in an artwork for you.

The titles for this series came from the meals I cooked to nourish myself, resulting in dishes that I might have butchered with my so-called personal touch. I had good laughs about my attempts in the kitchen, and they are to me acceptable because the personal space is where they belong. This experience was the perfect embodiment for the works. It is rather peculiar and intriguing how a title can stand alone yet complete the work at the same time, so this was a fun thing to do.

Another group exhibition you are taking part in is the ongoing ‘Upwind - Downtempo’ at Gajah Gallery, Yogyakarta. What do you enjoy about taking part in group exhibitions in terms of networking with other artists, making connections between your artwork and theirs etc?

To be honest, it is very different nowadays. Yes, it used to be a good opportunity to meet new circles, to have different conversations, experience new communities and so on. Now you don’t really get to meet each other because of the limited mobility between cities. But you have to do what you have to do. I guess sooner or later, we will find new ways and values in how we do things. We are still in the in-between. Let’s give ourselves some time to understand its new meanings.

Ruth Marbon, ‘Par Paradox’, 2021, acrylic, charcoal, pastel on canvas, 133 x 133 x 6cm. Photo by Bisma Putra. Image courtesy of the artist.

How does your current solo exhibition “Once Upon No Time” explore the concept of time, and what conclusions, if any, have you drawn from this exploration?

The exhibition stretched over a year from when it was initially planned. And during that delay, life collectively went to many extreme phases. So it was a little overwhelming and confusing because so many of the subjects I wanted to talk about suddenly felt unrelatable. And that is how it started to narrow down.

Time is a rigid construction in our society. It only took a pandemic for me to realise: wait a minute, I have a say in this? I am enjoying deconstructing the frames one by one for now. For instance, I am excited to learn what aging means and about its currencies. I am learning to separate quantity of time from quality in my process and trusting the work to serve its purpose accordingly.

Ruth Marbun, ‘Once Upon No Time’ exhibition space, 2021. Photo by Gregorius. Image courtesy of the artist.

Additionally, do you feel a shift with this exhibition being able to meet with visitors in real life again?

Oh definitely. I think with events in general, we can no longer quantify the engagement because numbers are definitely off the table for safety reasons. The approach and response also shift, and become more intimate, and more effort-conscious in a good way for both hosts and visitors. There is the potential for it to be limiting but also focused. I think we are seeking and accepting new spectrums.

How do you strike a balance among staying true to your practice, achieving financial stability and finding space to live life?

This is the first question I ask myself every morning, with a cup of coffee in hand! I think they will never be aligned perfectly. Priorities will change and take turns with each other. Flexibility is key to keep them as close as possible to each other. I am still learning how to do it, the hard way. But I am lucky to have the loveliest people surrounding me and patiently reminding me what matters the most by the end of the day.

Do you still work on fashion projects or do you have any plans to “return” to it if not? Could you speak generally about upcoming projects?

Yes. It is almost spooky that you specifically ask about this question because it is part of the plan for the coming year. I have been having a real itch to design textiles and make functional things.

I am still living one day at a time. I do know I want to both focus and at the same time blend more lines. I think one of the biggest challenges for artists today is the ability to balance focus and fluidity. I am looking forward to the day I get it right, even if it’s just an approximation!

Ruth Marbun’s solo exhibition ‘Once Upon No Time’ with Santy Saptari Art Consulting is on view till 11 December 2022 at the Wijaya Grand Center. More information here.