Eulogy examines intergenerational and postcolonial trauma through the lens of my family’s history, uncovering how collective memory shapes identity and emotional expression. The project originated from a photograph published in the Bali Post of my grandfather being carried from his home in a body bag after his death in 2020. This image sparked my exploration of the silences, losses, and unspoken memories shaping generations. Using family archives, personal photography, and diverse media—textiles, wood, ceramics, and AI—I reinterpret these themes to reveal the constructed and selective nature of memory.
A recurring color palette derived from the original photograph unifies the works, appearing in UV-printed archival photos on plywood and oil-painted beams that obscure parts of the image. This abstraction invites reflection on how memory reconstructs and idealizes the past while hiding its darker truths.
Ceramic tiles in the Obituary series use UV-printed archival images cropped to emphasize specific details, with hand-glazed colors inspired by the photograph. Tapestries woven from the same image manipulate and obscure details, reflecting the selective nature of memory. As a historically rich medium, tapestry underscores how personal and collective histories are intricately interwoven.
All images ©Sander Coers