3 Fishs and 2 breads

Artwork Description

Inspired by the biblical accounts of Jesus’ miraculous multiplication of bread and fish, this artwork explores the profound relationship between divine providence, human existence, and the philosophical symbolism of numbers within Javanese thought. Rather than reproducing the biblical number literally, the artist reinterprets the narrative through a composition of three fish and two loaves of bread, transforming the elements of the miracle into a personal dialogue between Christian spirituality and Javanese philosophy. In the artwork, the number five becomes a symbolic structure representing the interconnectedness of human existence, while the three fish evoke the Javanese philosophical understanding of Bapak, Ibu, dan Saya—Father, Mother, and Self—as the fundamental relationship through which life is understood and experienced.

The two loaves further embody the artist’s interpretation of the profound spiritual relationship between the visible human self and the unseen origins that accompany birth. Within the artist’s Javanese philosophical framework, the concepts of Kakang Kawah, associated with the amniotic fluid or “elder sibling,” and Adik Ari-Ari, referring to the placenta or “younger sibling,” represent the spiritual companions surrounding human birth and existence. By bringing these ideas into dialogue with the Christian story of Christ’s miracle, the artwork becomes a meditation on life, divine grace, ancestry, birth, and the unseen forces that shape human existence. The bread and fish therefore transcend their physical identity as elements of nourishment; they become symbols of abundance and divine generosity, while the numerical composition creates a bridge between Christian sacred narrative and Javanese cosmological reflection.

Medium: Acrylic with Iron Brush Technique on Pancadisc 610 gr
Dimensions: 52 × 37 cm