Ancestors of the Future

Ancestors of The Future

A collection of works from Bornean artists reimagining the indigenous Bornean identity not as a relic of the past but as a living, evolving expression shaping our collective future.

Bornean Indigenous identities are often defined by the lives and traditions of our ancestors. They explored and created with the materials they had at hand from their natural environment, and later adapted them through migration, emerging trade, and agricultural practices. These skills, creations, and artistic expressions were then passed down through generations as "tradition." Somewhere between time and space, we forgot that what we consider "old" or "traditional" was once new and contemporary.

Today we return to the path of their footsteps. Drawing from the materials of our current environment and the lived experiences of our generation, this exhibition brings together a collection of works from Bornean artists who explore contemporary expressions derived from ancestral knowledge as a mark of 21st-century Indigenous cultural identity, reframing the Indigenous Bornean identity not as a relic of the past but as a living and evolving expression that will shape the collective futures of generations to come.

About the Curator: Sarah Lois Dorai

Sarah Lois Dorai is an award winning Kelabit film director, publisher & creative from Malaysia whose work is shaped by community-led collaboration with indigenous communities and cultural practitioners. Her films largely explore the intersection of womanhood and cultural continuity and she passionately advocates for indigenous authorship, self-agency and representation both in and outside the film industry. Sarah was honoured as one of Southeast Asia’s Top 5 Women in Media (2024) and named among WikiImpact’s 100 Malaysian Changemakers for her contributions to Arts & Culture (2025).

About Sceptre Seven Press

Sceptre Seven Press develops impact-driven publishing, media, and cultural initiatives that amplify community voices, empower local creatives, and champions intergenerational knowledge through accessible and collaborative artistic practice, storytelling, education, and heritage preservation.

Exhibiting artists:

Hannah Bhatt Alena Murang Sarah Lois Allie Jabing Fay Ulrica Jesse Joy Saerah R. Kunjan Antonia Isabelle Dumowongi Loretta Livan Milang Ayue Juman Catriona Maddocks Gindung McFeddy Simon