Citra Sasmita, “Timur Merah Project XIV: Tribe of Fire 4” (detail), 2024, Painted cowhide with beads
HT25 curators Noelle Kahanu and Wassan Al-Khudairi with artist Citra Sasmita at Kaluapele, also known as Kīlauea Crater
HT25 ALOHA NŌ Artists (left to right) Melissa Chimera and Citra Sasmita
An Awakening of My Sleeping Spirit
Kīlauea awakens and dances,
Her footsteps are earthquakes,
The gleam of her hair is hot lava flowing gently and full of forgiveness.
Bless us! Bless us!
For we are your children, born of fire and solidified as we tread upon the earth.
-Receiving a “warm welcome from the mountain here,” ALOHA NŌ artist, Citra Sasmita, composed this poem inspired by the goddess Pele.
Being in the presence of Citra Sasmita’s work is a multisensory experience. The earthy scent of leather wafting through the gallery feels comforting and primordial. The deeply pigmented red and black paint—figures of women, snakes, fire, severed heads, plants resembling fiery lotus flowers and kalo-like leaves—portray a ferocity that feels both dangerous and grounded. Like ancient stories unfolding in real-time, the power of Sasmita’s work lies in the fact that it connects us with an ancestral life force that creates harmony by dancing through perceived dichotomies such as light and dark, creation and destruction, old and new.
In the development of works for ALOHA NŌ, Sasmita began thinking about the stories she wanted to share in Hawaiʻi, a place she had never been, and knew she wanted to connect with the land. As she learned more about the triennial theme, Citra felt a deep connection between the ‘āina of Hawaiʻi and her island-home Bali as both places are surrounded by the ocean and are home to active volcanoes. During discussions with the HT25 curatorial team, Citra was introduced to the goddess Pele. Through further research and deeper conversations, the two works currently featured at the Donkey Mill were created, both inspired by Citra’s reflections on the profound connections within the “Ring of Fire,” the tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes that encompasses many islands of the Pacific, including Bali and Hawaiʻi. In this series, natural phenomena give birth to new rituals and mythologies; in her work, the Ring of Fire is a connector and invincible force of regeneration.
During her visit on Hawaiʻi, Citra and members of the Triennial team made the huakaʻi to Halemaʻumaʻu to be in the presence of Pele’s breath and mana. “I was really inspired by the mountain [Mauna Loa] because my homeland is also a mountain. Being in Hawaiʻi for the first time has awakened my sleeping spirit….I’ve learned so much.”
Citra’s work will be on view at the Donkey Mill until June 28, 2025. For more information about the artist, visit citrasasmita.com and stay tuned for the forthcoming recording of Citra’s Artist Talk.