In mid-2021, I had the opportunity to create new works and exhibit in Lasem City, Rembang, Central Java. The massive number of ancient buildings with Chinese architectural styles makes the city of Lasem also known as little China. Hundreds of years of cultural acculturation have given birth to a variety of priceless cultural heritage, as we can see in Tiga Negeri Batik, which reflects the fusion of Chinese, European and Javanese cultures. During my first visit to the city of Lasem, I tried to unleash the grand narratives that have already surfaced, such as diversity, tolerance and so on. Armed with limited knowledge about Lasem, I convinced myself to use intuition and personal impressions as a starting point for building ideas.

Our friend, mas Pop, who is also a local resident, became our guide in seeing Lasem, visiting from the usual places for tourism to entering the houses of anti-mainstream residents. Residential houses with Chinese architecture, lined up surrounded by high walls, grow along with carts and tents of street vendors attached to the walls around the Chinatown area. We also had the opportunity to visit the house of one of the residents who lives in the Chinatown area, the house is inhabited by a grandfather who is usually called Opa and Mrs. Minuk. A barking dog with a chain around its neck greeted us at the entrance of the house. After entering and having a little chat with Mrs. Minuk, for some reason I felt that the house with its Chinese architectural style seemed to isolate its inhabitants, as if it had a considerable distance from the outside world. At first we were quite awkward while looking around the house, for fear of invading privacy, but then mas Pop assured us that they were happy to be visited or cared for. Perhaps if it weren’t for the regular visits from Mas Pop and his guests, the residents of these old houses, many of whom are elderly, would be forgotten or disconnected from the outside world.

Another thing that caught my attention was during our visit to Cu An Khiong temple, the oldest temple in Lasem. In the inner side area of the temple, I found several birds that were deliberately kept in cages perched on the ceiling. I was astonished, because to the best of my knowledge, some events such as weddings in the temple have a procession to release birds into the wild. As a form of goodwill that all creatures get freedom. Not trying to find what is right and wrong, I then chose animals and architecture as the main theme and material for my work.

In Chinese culture, many animals are found as symbols and symbols that interpret hopes and prayers, one of which can be found in every corner of the front and back of the building. I then combined these Chinese architectural elements with the semi-permanent buildings of street vendors that are present around Chinatown.

This work also presents mythological animals in ancient buildings alongside animals that live around the Chinatown area of Lasem. We can analyze how humans treat pets or animals that live around us, actually indirectly reflecting our feelings towards the surrounding environment. For example, how someone keeps a dog, we will position our pet as part of the family or as a ‘home guardian’ to fulfill the need for security.