11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Menghibur Sangiang Serri ( Entertaining the Sangiang Serri ) 2021 / Woodcut print on canvas / 100 × 140cm / Purchased 2024 with funds from Project 11 through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Image courtesy: The artist NOTES 1 Nurman Said, ‘Religion and cultural identity among the Bugis’, Inter‑Religio , vol.45, 2004, p.16. 2 Said, p.16. 3 Sirtjo Koolhof, ‘The “La Galigo”: A Bugis encyclopaedia and its growth’, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde ( Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania ), vol.155, no.3, 1999, p.370; Kathryn Robinson, ‘Sawerigading vs. Sharia: Identities and political contestation in decentralised Indonesia’, Asian Journal of Social Science , vol.39, no.2, 2011, p.227. 4 Feby Triadi and Petsy Jessy Ismoyo, ‘Sulapa Eppa: Bissu, Bugis cosmology, and queer political ecology’, Jurnal Perempuan , vol.27, no.3, 2022, pp.195–204. 5 Muhammad Jazuli Yusrianti and Sumaryanto F Totok, ‘The aesthetics of Padendang dance at Mappadendang traditional ceremony of Bugis society in Soppeng regency’, Catharsis: Journal of Arts Education , vol.8, no.1, 2019, pp.113–19. 6 Aaron Seeto, Present Continuous: Sekarang Seterusnya [exhibition catalogue], Museum MACAN, Jakarta Barat, 2022, p.16. 7 Seeto, p.16. 8 Firman Saleh, Hasyim Muhammad, Rudy Yusuf, Syam Hermansyah and Andi Vieriawan, ‘Convention and the function of reading sure’ Meongpalo Karellae for Bugis farming communities in South Sulawesi’, in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Linguistics and Cultural , 27 June 2023, pp.157–64. 9 Muhlis Lugis artist statement, QAGOMA Curatorial Files. BUGIS PEOPLE BORN 1987, ULO, SOUTHSULAWESI, INDONESIA LIVES+WORKS INMAKASSARCITY, SOUTHSULAWESI Printmaker Muhlis Lugis’s large-scale woodcuts explore his cultural heritage by reflecting and recontextualising aspects of Bugis customs, philosophy and mythology. Grounded in the teachings and culture of the Bugis community of South Sulawesi, his meticulous compositions consistently advocate for a return to tradition. Lugis was first recognised for his surrealist works lamenting the decline in Bugis societal values, specifically the concept of siri — the value of oneself. 1 Siri is described as a code of moral guidance prescribing honour, dignity and courtesy to promote ‘individual and communal integrity and thus harmony and prosperity’. 2 Lugis’s latest body of work continues to expand on these themes, focusing on the influential epic narrative La Galigo , an ancient, 6000-page manuscript of the Bugis people. With origins deeply rooted in oral traditions, this poetic text is an ‘Encyclopedia of ethics, politics, history and technology’ that inscribes pre‑Islamic sacred beliefs and ancestral customs, while the adventures of the protagonists of La Galigo ‘illuminate the cosmology of the ancient Bugis world’. 3 One of the most referenced creation stories from La Galigo concerns Sangiang Serri, also known as Dewi Sri or Dewi Padi in other parts of Indonesia, who was the child of Bataru Guru, the first human being on Earth. Following their death, Sangiang Serri was transformed into na berre (rice) as a divine gift to ensure the prosperity of Bugis people. 4 Throughout his ‘Sangiang Serri (Goddess of Rice)’ series, Lugis illustrates the story cycles of the goddess, exploring significant events and associated rituals. In intricate detail, Persembahan Sang Dewi ( The Goddess’s Offering ) 2021 brings to life the moment of transformation of Sangiang Serri into rice by Dewata Seuwae, the supreme god in the upper world. Menghibur Sangiang Serri ( Entertaining the Sangiang Serri ) 2021 portrays the Buginese Mappadendang ritual, a joyful performance of gratitude for abundant harvests. An important expression of cultural identity, the ceremony consists of beating a lesung (mortar) and alu (pestle) in dendang (rhythm) to produce a beat pleasing to the goddess, which forms the musical accompaniment to the Padendang dancers. 5 The observance of Mappadendang is a significant community gathering of unity and cultural celebration. In Sangiang Serri Bersemayam di Lumbung ( Sangiang Serri Resides in the Barn ) 2021, Sangiang Serri’s loyal feline companion Meong Mpalo Karellae guards the goddess in the rakkeang (granary) in the attic of a traditional Buginese house. The tricoloured cat’s persistent loyalty to Sangiang Serri is emblematic of favourable social values within Bugis society. 6 Penghormatan Sangiang Serri ( Tribute to Sangiang Serri ) 2021 depicts the Maddoja Bine ritual that is performed before planting rice to honour Sangiang Serri and bless the crops with success. Rice seedlings are placed in a vessel for at least three days while they sprout, and kept on a pedestal on the posi bola (the main pillar of a Bugis house) to ensure they are protected during germination. 7 The night before planting, Maddoja Bine is observed with massureq, a reading of stories of Meong Mpalo Karellae from texts written in lontara (traditional Buginese) script. 8 Lugis’s compelling composition visualises the moment of divine blessing — the rice seedlings dance through the air around the swirling lontara-embellished scroll. Lugis again draws on ancestral stories as inspiration for the expansive vista depicted in To balo 2019. Here, he re-imagines traditional narratives of the To balo (‘striped people’), a small community inhabiting a remote area in Barru regency, South Sulawesi. Beliefs in the region ascribe the To balo people’s genetic depigmentation — also called piebaldism — to ancient curses. In this work, Lugis assigns them a new history that elevates their status as warriors who came to the aid of the local kingdom. 9 Muhlis Lugis’s culturally resonant and dynamic presentation of traditional and re-imagined stories from a contemporary Bugis perspective reaffirms the significance of cultural practice and identity amid the ever-changing landscape of South Sulawesi society. SOPHIASAMBONO MUHLIS LUGIS ARTISTS+PROJECTS ASIAPACIFICTRIENNIAL 142 — 143