Temporal Ceremonial Space, Flags for the Western Front, The Elba Box

Description:

Western Front presented an exhibition by Ania Rachmat and Erik Odijk, co-founders of the artist-run centre Elba Box in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The exhibition featured two works that examined identity through ritual and textile practices.

Ania Rachmat’s installation Temporal Ceremonial Space evoked the form of a krobongan—a domestic shrine within a traditional Javanese house, typically constructed from draped fabric to demarcate ceremonial space. The work reflected on the nature of ritual environments while engaging with the Rachmat’s mixed Dutch-Indonesian heritage.

In Flags for the Western Front, Erik Odijk investigated the cultural significance of cloth, flags, and streamers in various Asian contexts, where they function as markers of ceremony and protection against malevolent forces. The work also considered trees as social and symbolic sites: thresholds between forest and home, earth and air.

The exhibition also included a presentation of photographs, video works, and catalogues produced through Elba Box’s artist-in-residence program.

Presented with support from The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.