Bahasa Towards harmony
Printmaker, sculptor, painter, installation and performance artist Entang Wiharso draws on his personal experience of living and working in America and Indonesia to create complex narrative works that explore 'that sensation of always being not quite right, not quite able to fit in'. The continuous presence of dual cultures that underscores his experience of love and life has inspired ongoing musings on migration, race, nationalism, bigotry, power and relationships. However, Wiharso's works move beyond personal experience to broadly critique social norms from the position of an independent outsider.
Wiharso's rich and diverse visual vocabulary references popular culture and historical art, including the distorted forms of comic book characters, wayang puppetry's use of silhouette and shadows, and narrative groupings familiar from the bas reliefs of the ninth century Hindu temple complex, Prambanan, a monument that is visible from the artist's studio and which he regularly visits. The modern urban cultures of the United States and Indonesia have also in recent years provided many phrases, slogans and words that Wiharso has begun to incorporate in his works, adding the contemporary 'white noise' of information overload to his visual lexicon.
Since 2009 he has created architectural structures made from laser-cut metal panels, which have developed from earlier cut-out metal wall-reliefs. Called Temple of Hope, each of the structures presents the viewer with a tangle of figures depicting clashes of conflicting opinions and desires and emotional responses; anger and contrition, hopelessness and aggression, sensuality and isolation. Lit from within, the dramatic shadows project onto the gallery walls and visitors. Unlike previous temples in the series, Temple of Hope: Door to Nirvana allows the visitor to enter through four doors, inviting them to contemplate the scenarios from all perspectives, to reflect on tolerance and acceptance, and recognise different paths to peace and harmony.
