'Even After Death, The Departed Lives Life'

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Indonesia has a long history of Chinese migration, with generations of Chinese communities settling and becoming part of the country’s cultural landscape. However, as a Chinese Indonesian born in the late twentieth century, Meliantha Muliawan has experienced how some traditions inherited from her ancestors have gradually faded. The changes brought by globalization have further shaped her relationship with a cultural heritage that feels increasingly distant.

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One tradition that continues to be practiced among Chinese Indonesian communities is ancestor worship. Yet certain rituals, including the burning of joss paper, are becoming less familiar to younger generations. Joss paper consists of paper offerings made to resemble money and everyday objects, which are burned as a gesture of respect for the deceased. According to traditional beliefs, these offerings are transformed into their corresponding forms in the afterlife. The ritual reflects a belief that the living and the dead remain connected, even across different realms of existence.

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An unexpected encounter with fragments of Ming dynasty porcelain found in the Java Sea led Meliantha to discover more about the history of Chinese migration to Indonesia. The fragments offered a tangible connection to the journeys of her ancestors and the cultural exchanges that have shaped Chinese Indonesian identity over generations.

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In this work, Meliantha recreates the porcelain fragments using paper, referencing the tradition of joss paper burning. By bringing together an archaeological remnant and a ritual that is gradually fading from her own experience, she creates a symbolic connection between the past and the present. The paper replicas evoke the act of offering something back to the ancestors, as though returning an object that once belonged to them.

For Meliantha, this process becomes a way to approach a history that was not fully passed down to her. Through the act of making, she seeks to reconnect with her ancestors and reconsider her position as a Chinese Indonesian. Although the stories of her heritage may remain incomplete, the work offers a way to engage with what survives, allowing material fragments and cultural practices to become points of departure for understanding her identity.