Redacted

These sculptures respond to the Dutch and British colonial spice trades in Southeast Asia, particularly the struggle for control over nutmeg production. In the seventeenth century, the Dutch committed genocide in the Banda Islands to secure a monopoly over nutmeg. Centuries later, the British tried—and failed—to establish nutmeg production in Singapore. These sculptures, cast from my own hands, are my attempt to hold this painful history with care, drawing attention to a largely overlooked chapter of colonial history.

The nutmegs are cast in bronze, a material traditionally associated with monuments and commemoration, lending physical and symbolic weight to this history. The plinths are constructed from reclaimed Burmese teak—the timber once used by the British to build naval ships and now widely associated with luxury yachts. In using teak, these works draw a connection between colonial extraction and contemporary exploitation of natural resources. Colonisation is an ongoing process rather than an historical event.

List of Works:

Redacted I, 2026 Reclaimed Burmese Teak, the artists’ hand cast in white pigmented jesmonite, nutmeg cast in bronze. Plinth - 58cm x 20 x 20cm, hand - 20 x 8 x 5cm, nutmeg - 2cm x 1.5cm

Redacted II, 2026, Reclaimed Burmese Teak, the artists’ hands cast in white pigmented jesmonite, nutmeg cast in bronze. Plinth - 26 x 22 x 12cm, 2 hands - each 20 x 8 x 5cm, nutmeg - 2cm x 1.5cm

Redacted III, 2026, Reclaimed Burmese Teak, the artists’ hands cast in white pigmented jesmonite, nutmegs cast in bronze. Plinth - 35 x 19 x 32cm, 2 hands - each 20 x 8 x 5cm, 5 nutmegs- each 2 cm x 1.5cm

Photography by Studio Reverse Magic and Yang-En Hume