ENTANG WIHARSO

Indonesian-born, US-based artist Entang Wiharso has a multi-disciplinary practice and speaks with urgency through any cogent channel that fits his immediate need, be it painting, sculpture, video, installation or performance. Widely regarded for his unique depictions of contemporary life that employ a dramatic visual language, his artworks exist in relation to the mythologies of a centuries-old animist past and the high-speed, hyper-connected lifestyle of the 21st century. From universal issues of power, loss and love to broad interests in ideology, philosophy and geography, Wiharso’s work is layered with social, political and sexual critique, revealing a complex picture of the human condition. Wiharso deploys imagery in a coded system of references and symbols that snake across the often-sprawling surfaces of canvas or industrial-grade aluminum. Wiharso’s life and works straddle two cultures. He moved to the United States in 1997, maintaining a studio in Central Java where he produces his large-scale installations. Recent work focuses on the duality of cultures and experiences in his two homelands, building on ideas that connect spirituality and transcendence with national narratives about progress and destiny through a sustained exploration of landscape and geopolitical structures.