Flowing Passage by Yessiow: The Knitted Memories of a Javanese Family in Bali

Showcased at the entrance facade of the 2025 Art & Bali, Bali-based muralist Yessiow's latest work Flowing Passage is a cheerfully coloured large-scale textile installation that bridges her personal background with Balinese cultural heritage. This is because the colours and forms within Flowing Passage are direct references to specific Balinese iconography, yet the piece was made in collaboration with Yessiow’s parents whose ancestral roots are found in the neighbouring island of Java. Hence, Flowing Passage becomes a way for Yessiow to celebrate not only her own multicultural heritage, but also Bali’s multicultural existence. This is why the work is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Reduced Inequalities.

Displayed across a 5m x 6.8m wall, the piece consists of several different knitted vines that are 250 meters long in total. These colourful tendrils draw inspiration from the paku pipit, a traditional Balinese gate/doorway decoration made out of coconut fonds. Balinese philosophy sees the paku pipit as a symbol of human bones, which will provide an event or space with the necessary support to carry out successful & prosperous endeavours. 

Certain strands in Flowing Passage are also decorated with hand-made frangipani flowers, a flora typically associated with Balinese heritage. The star-shaped flowers come in hues of white, pink, yellow, and red, and are often found in temple courtyards, gardens, and traditional offerings. They are revered by the Balinese people as a symbol of purity and devotion, the mark and wish for an untainted heart that is devout to the island’s deities. The colours of each tendril in Flowing Passage are also reflections of Balinese life, these bright colours are often found in the canang sari, Balinese Hinduism offerings that can be found adorning doorsteps, temples, restaurants and even car dashboards. 

Here, red symbolizes the Creator, the Hindu deity Brahma, while black represents the Destroyer, Shiva. Yellow represents knowledge, green symbolizes nature, and finally, blue represents Vishnu, the Preserver. Yessiow has also included the iconic black, white, and grey checkered Balinese poleng fabric pattern. This particular Balinese poleng fabric, which includes grey along with black and white, is known as the Sudamala poleng fabric, a symbol of Rwa Bhineda– the Balinese philosophy of a balanced existence which seeks to find the grey within the black and white.

Flowing Passage is especially profound as it comes at a time where Bali is facing its own struggles with migration and overtourism. Locals have complained that both short-term and long-term visitors of the island, which includes a rising number of digital nomads and remote workers lack respect towards Bali’s nature, people and culture. Hence, the piece shows its audiences a more positive alternative, where even if one does not come from Balinese heritage, they can still find their roots there and take inspiration from its abundant culture and nature.

In a world where borders often divide more than they connect, Yessiow’s Flowing Passage offers a cheerful and powerful reminder: that heritage isn’t just inherited—it’s woven, stitch by stitch, through shared stories and open hands. By intertwining her Javanese family's labour with the Balinese symbolism she grew up with, Yessiow invites her audiences to rethink what it means to belong somewhere. As Bali grapples with the weight of tourism and migration, her knitted vines—vibrant, collaborative, and alive—propose an alternative: a future where roots can grow anew, and where respect for culture isn’t about where you’re from, but how you choose to listen, learn, and add your thread to the tapestry.

Find out more about Flowing Passage by Yessiow and her other initiatives by checking her Instagram @yessiow or her website www.yessiow.com.