Forests cut, forests burning

I was selected to represent Brunei in Global Artivism Month 2026, which runs from 1 November to 10 December. I am showing two digital collages, each 420 x 594 mm: Heartbreak of Borneo (2022) and Borneo's Lung Crisis (2026).

Global Artivism is a movement led from the Global South and the Global Majority that uses arts and culture to push for social and systemic change.

Heartbreak of Borneo

Heartbreak of Borneo takes its title from the Heart of Borneo conservation initiative, in which Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia committed to protecting Borneo's rainforests. The work explores how national borders divide a land that was once deeply connected.

It reflects on Indigenous and nomadic communities whose movement across borders can lead to displacement and statelessness, and asks who has the right to define, own and protect the land.

Borneo's Lung Crisis

Borneo's Lung Crisis is a companion to Heartbreak of Borneo. While Heartbreak of Borneo examined the destruction of Borneo's forests through logging and deforestation, Borneo's Lung Crisis turns its attention to another form of destruction: forests burning.

Recent fires in West Kalimantan have burned ancient rainforests, threatening biodiversity, displacing wildlife and affecting Indigenous communities protecting their ancestral lands. Dayak Indigenous youth are among those confronting the flames, despite contributing little to the crisis.

The smoke does not recognise political borders.

It travels across Borneo, affecting Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and parts of Southeast Asia, a reminder that environmental disasters are shared disasters. El Niño has worsened drought conditions, but decades of environmental warnings have shown the dangers of destroying Borneo's forests. This work asks: who benefits from the destruction of nature, and who pays the price?