Allegro Print Pte Ltd, Singapore, 2015, 124 pp
Universally resonant yet rooted in cultural milieu; Indonesian contemporary artist Entang Wiharso creates provocative works that speaks volumes about the human condition. From issues of power, loss and love to broader categories of ideology, philosophy and identity, Entang delivers personal reflections and social critique by integrating Javanese narrative tools of wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) with contemporary materials. Better known for his performance art and monumental aluminium sculptures, reliefs and installations; Entang’s ventures in the two-dimensional forms of painting, drawing and print have remained an abiding practice of his.
Never Say No presents the diversity and scale of Entang’s residency at STPI, where alternative methods and materials like balloons, yarn, wires and nails were used in the print and papermaking process. His explorations with the multifaceted medium led to a comprehensive body of work that projects customary themes through his trademark visual vocabulary of contorted, hybrid bodies – with slogans and icons of tropical plants, weapons and fences, amongst other things – as well as forms never before seen in his artistic oeuvre.
With essays by Melissa Chiu and Agung Hujatnikajennong.
