DIHAN BITUGUNG DA PASAR
dihan bitugung da pasar (2021) exhibited as part of the 2021 Churchie National Emerging Art Prize at the Institute of Modern Art, QLD.
dihan bitugung da pasar (2021) is part of Baker’s ongoing investigations into durian as an artistic medium. Durian is a divisive fruit that elicits strong feelings of pleasure in some people and feelings of disgust in others. In Sarawak, Baker’s family grow wild durian on their ancestral lands. For her family, and Bidayǔhs at large, durian brings wealth, continuity, and togetherness. Countless words, activities, and rituals surround durian, and it is commonly enjoyed at gatherings of family and friends. But it is also associated with danger and bodily harm—even among Bidayǔh people, it is believed that if durian is consumed incorrectly it may cause sickness or death.
This work was inspired by an affectionate and longing message Baker’s aunt sent to relatives in a family Whatsapp chat:
“Gati kinde neg miri kita rarak nalo maan dihan bitugung da pasar /
Everyone come here and together we can eat the durian piled up in the market.”
Artwork details:
embalmed durian shells and seeds, hydrocal plaster, fractionated coconut oil, durian, resin, fruit flies
Resin moulding and casting by Claire Tennant
Lifecast moulded, cast and altered by Clare Nicholson
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation view, photo by Joe Ruckli
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation detail, photo by Joe Ruckli
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation detail, photo by Joe Ruckli
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation detail, photo by Joe Ruckli
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation view, photo by Joe Ruckli
dihan bitugung da pasar, 2021, installation detail, photo by Joe Ruckli
I live and work on the lands of the Awabakal and Worimi people.
This sovereign land was never ceded.
The land I live on always was and always will be Aboriginal land.