Memory, emotion, culture, history, politics.
Always and anywhere, they start with the body

Through concentrated, repetitive actions performed over a long time, Melati Suryodarmo sharply brings to light contemporary relationships between society and the body. Suryodarmo regards the body as a vessel for memories and emotions. Her work is always based on her own experiences, including her roots in Indonesia and the education she received there as well as the twenty years she spent in Germany where she began her career as an artist. The unique and pertinent work of this performance artist is presented through both a performance and exhibition. 

   Sweet Dreams Sweet is a performance by twenty-eight women who live in the area where the work is performed. Dressed in matching white outfits, the women dip their feet in buckets of water, which gradually stain their stockings blue. The women move slowly, their faces and expressions hidden behind veils, indistinguishable. The work suggests the suppressed individuality of these women, alluding to the pressures of conformity that exist in Indonesian society and other parts of the world.