UNDRGRND - UNDRGRND ARTIST: TUHANKOMA

UNDRGRND ARTIST: TUHANKOMA

NFT Indonesia — June 17, 2022

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JUNE 17TH, 2022

Each week artists are commissioned for a piece of art through the UNDRGRND Grant Program. 100 NFTs are minted and are randomly airdropped to UNDRGRND Membership Cardholders. To find out how you can be featured as an UNDRGRND Artist check out our Discord. 

Tuhankoma is an Indonesian NFT artist who often brings up themes around mythology and history. He returns to his cultural roots in this artwork by choosing a character from Batak mythology. He chooses Naga Padoha, a gigantic being who guards the underworld, tasked to warn humans when they don't keep the universe's balance and mess with the Earth.

Batak is a closely related Austronesian ethnic group in North Sumatra, Indonesia. In Batak cosmology, the universe consists of three interrelated layers of worlds: the Upper World (Banua Ginjang), the Middle World (Banua Tonga), and the Underworld (Banua Toru). The Upper World is a heaven where the gods reside, Middle World is the Earth where humans live, while the underworld is a mystical realm inhabited by spirits and lower gods.

Hindu beliefs strongly influence Naga Padoha and generally depict the figure as a dragon or snake. However, Naga Padoha has a more diverse form in the ancient Batak faith. The character is not only a dragon or a snake but is also described as an arthropod.

Made in a surreal comic style using Procreate and Adobe Illustrator, the artist reinterprets that Batak mythological creature in the form of a giant centipede. Naga Padoha manifests as a black beast, a color often associated with anger, aggression, power, and death. With its fierce eyes, the monstrous creature stares ruthlessly at a long-haired woman standing in front of it. Its large, poisonous claws seem ready to devour the lady, then chews on her with its sturdy lower jaws.

However, despite being much smaller in size, the lady does not seem daunted by the scary beast. Instead, she approaches the giant centipede, raises a white circle of light, then hands that circle to Naga Padoha.

The female figure present in this work symbolizes the Middle World because, according to Batak mythology, the first creature that descended to Earth was a woman. The white circle of light near the woman and other small circles around Naga Pohan are depictions of human souls. Those souls given by the woman to the Guardian of the underworld signify the relationship between humans and the spirit world that is formed through death. Eventually, we humans will leave the Earth and move to the underworld.

Tuhankoma's distinctive black-and-white style is ideal for illustrating this philosophical story full of moral messages. Various colors shroud everyday life on Earth, so the choice of black and white can signal a switch to an otherworldly or spiritual realm. The removal of multiple colors can also eliminate distractions so that viewers can focus on the details of each object.

The halftone technique used by the artist provides an array of distinctive textures and adds an interesting tactile effect to the background and the Naga Padoha body. The dots also bring a vintage, distorted, grungy feel and strengthen the comic elements in this artwork. The proper contrast gradation makes it seem like this mystical creature has tough and sturdy skin that reinforces its might. It's always nice to bring some depth aspects to create a more dynamic illustration. And shades of gray in some parts emphasize the dramatic, mysterious, and eerie atmosphere of the underworld.

Of the many figures in Batak mythology, there is a particular reason why the artist chooses Naga Padoha as the object of his work. The beast is considered relatable to the current conditions of Earth. Currently, humans are afflicted with various kinds of chaotic events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, global warming, and wars, which cause a lot of grief and deaths. And often, those problems are caused by the actions of humans themselves. The adversities arising from human negligence can be construed as a warning from Naga Padoha. An awakening to humans to continue maintaining the balance of the cosmos by establishing a harmonious life with fellow living beings. Otherwise, Naga Padoha will come up and disturb the Earth.

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