Agus Suwage Indonesia, b. 1959
The skeleton with gilded wings is another recurring iconography in Suwage’s
practice. In Guardian Angel, the sculpture is flanked by lyrics extracted from the
Javanese kidung, or song, “Rumekso ing Wengi” by the ninth and final saint of
Javanese Islam — Sunan Kalijaga. As a form of healing prayer, this kidung is believed
to have magical properties to ward off evil, disasters, diseases, and thieves. The
content is a prayer request to prevent and fortify the coming of threats and danger at
night when one is asleep, both physically and supernaturally.
Exhibitions
"Paraphrase, Pt. II", A+ Works of Art, Kuala Lumpur 6 June - 29 July 2023Join our mailing list
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