From spiny deep-sea biota to cellular mutations and jagged exoskeletons, Indonesian artist Meta Enjelita’s Inner Monologue (2025) is charged with various biological references. Exhibited at this year’s ArtJog in Yogyakarta, the large-scale installation features a panoply of elongated, seemingly calciferous forms hanging from the ceiling like excavated fossils. Directly underneath, ten similar but round structures are scattered across the floor, each one crowned with thorny projections. 

The archeological quality of the work is further emphasized by its earthy coloring: layers of burnt umber, red-orange, and dark brown appear to encrust every lump and bristle in Inner Monologue. Despite giving an outward impression of bone-like solidity, however, each part is made of white cotton and dacron that Enjelita reddened through her signature rust-dyeing technique. For this method, she folds fabric around a piece of corroded iron, letting the rust imprint onto it; then she cuts and sews the stained sheets by hand into biomorphic configurations filled with cotton fluff. Even with the use of salt and vinegar solutions to facilitate the color transfer, this project took five months to complete—a deliberately slow process that resists the mechanical hustle of capitalist production.