WEDHAR RIYADI

Based in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, Wedhar is part of a group of Indonesian artists whose work is strongly influenced by the era of change, which saw severe political and economic developments in the country, and an increasing influx of Japanese and Western popular culture in local entertainment. The impact of these socio-political changes found expression in his work, which appropriates and draws upon various forms of mass media to create surreal, absurdist worlds. In recent works, Wedhar explored the psychological depths of popular culture imagery, through distorting, rearranging and carving up imagery of the human figure.

In Light and Shadow, Wedhar continues his investigation on the influence of the digital age, taking a spotlight on its impact on our everyday experiences and senses. In our current era of the social media phenomenon, the domination of our sense of sight shapes our way of looking at others through an object lens. Yearning for a return back to our physical body as a feeling being, Wedhar began this new suite of paintings through manually composing the figures through clay sculptures. Dynamic and adaptive, the materiality of clay imprints presence of the artist’s hand and human touch.

The resulting works are then captured, digitally manipulated with artificial light, and translated into chiaroscuro paintings. Leaving traces of Wedhar’s original touch, the paintings blur the line between the still-life and self-portraiture, material and immaterial, object and subject, light and shadow.