Alexander Sebastianus Hartanto | Particles of From #4

Courtesy of the artist and ISA Art and Design

Particles of From #4 combines two methods of image-making: photographic print and the Javanese wax-resist dye technique of batik. Pixelated images of the artist’s personal memories and belongings are first imprinted on cloth and waxed over. After that, the cloth is dipped into dye. This process is an apt metaphor for the act of unveiling as the wax retains the initial image imprinted onto the fabric, resisting the dye that otherwise shrouds the rest of the textile in darkness.

​Alexander Sebastianus Hartanto’s works explore the decontextualisation of material cultures and how it is perceived, understood, and ritualised in practice. By decolonising Euro-centric notions of “art”, he hopes to reclaim “Sani,” a way of living which involves offering, service, and search of the unknown. Prior to his art studies, Hartanto was an apprentice for a Javanese master weaver in East Java. He has had six solo exhibitions in Bali, Taipei, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Boston. He was also awarded the William Daley Award for Excellence in Art History and a Craft Field (2017) and the Massachusetts College of Art & Design: Fiber Arts Departmental Honors (2018)