Born in 1969 in Surakarta, Indonesia, Melati Suryodarmo studied under renowned Butoh dancer, Anzu Furukawa, and acclaimed performance artist, Marina Abramovic. Known for her highly physical, time-based performances, and for using her body as a theatrical canvas, Suryodarmo has performed all over the world: Venice Biennale Dance Festival (2007); eBent 07 Festival in Barcelona (2007); Accione 06 in Madrid (2006); 15th International Electronic Art Festival – Video Brasil, Sao Paolo (2005); International Performance Art Festival in Toronto (2004), as well as in New York, Paris, Bali, Sydney and Singapore.This series of prints documents a performance by Suryodarmo entitled ‘I Love You’. Taking the three words commonly employed to express deep emotions for another as the starting point, she questions the meaning and significance of this phrase while exploring on a subconscious level the collective psyche of being a woman. The poses captured on these prints may hence be read as abstract metaphors for situations and scenarios in relationships, articulating the fragility and uncertainty of the emotions that humans express verbally.
