Lama Sabakhtani #03 emerges from Christine Ay Tjoe’s contemplation on the relationships in life, particularly in a theological context but also one in which the relationship with our Maker is extended to reflect on the connections between humans. The title of the work translates as “why have you forsaken me” and refers to Christ’s call to God at the last moments of his suffering on the cross. For Ay Tjoe, this ultimate calling is “a harsh experience […] but there are still elements of joy that seep in,” referencing for example, the observance leading to and during Easter¹. There is a gathering of community but it is the intimacy between those calling out to God and those being called that is prominent in the work.

The work centres on a solitary typewriter stripped of its external casings with 18 keys that resemble long arms, as if reaching out in a desire to connect. Sound is core to the work: a strong, emotive composition plays in the background. Viewers are invited to press the keys and when certain combinations of keys are pressed, the composition changes. This prompts the viewer to uncover emotions embedded in both the sound and the tapping of keys. Through this interplay, the artist explores the intersubjectivity of relations in life and opens the allegorical object to many interpretations.

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1. Christine Ay Tjoe, as quoted by Hendro Wianto in his curatorial introduction to Lama Sabaktani Club (Bandung: Artsociates, 2010).