The exhibition at Galeri Kita (Bandung, 2004) titled New Painting: After Non-Representational Painting in Bandung was one of the exhibitions which began Radi Arwinda's career. At the time, Radi was still a student at FSRD-ITB's painting studio, and was the youngest participant in the exhibition. Among work by other artists, Radi's 8 Dewa (Eight Gods) series quickly grabbed attention. It was due to the 'unusual esthetics', Radi's way of offering allegories, creating shapes, developing imaginary figures with an illustrative approach, added with a striking demonstration of color on the canvas – as though as it was showing a new trend in the accentuation of Bandung painting at that time.
A year later, Radi exhibited his Ngepet series in the Petisi Bandung #1 (Bandung Petition #1) at Galeri Langgeng, Magelang. Radi was labeled as a young artists who mixed local imagery with the modern spirit, thus forming the opinion in our minds that he has great potential to represent a unique esthetic tendency for artists of his generation.
The Siluman seres represented Radi's interest in animation and comics, and was exhibited in the Invasi Bandung (Bandung Invasion) exhibition at Galeri Canna (Jakarta, 2008). In this exhibition, Radi sold keyrings in the shape of a mascot of himself as a gimmick. The awareness of art manufacture in Radi had developed over the years, and he had already discovered certain patterns for art creation. He also studied artistic strategies of the artists he admired. More recently, Radi created a shock by presenting a giant sculpture in the Bandung ArtNow exhibition at Galeri Nasional (Jakarta, 2009).
The new trend Radi has brought cannot be separated by the winds of change brought forth post-Reformation 1998. Assuming that after the political event which stemmed from a financial crisis significantly changed the sociopolitical order, therefore it must be connected to the change of our point of view in understanding art, and also changed our attitude in accepting art's presence. This all has to do with the blurring between the sublime and the banal, and between higher art and the profane. Many artists represent the birth of a new energy, bringing the languange of the post-Reformation 1998 generation. This generation has encouraged hybridism, eclecticism, and humorism.
We also see the surfacing of 'art' in which its creation contains 'quasi': like an illustration presented as 'art' by using mediums or idioms of art. It may also be some sort of artistic work created from the mass culture mindset: kitsch, banal, superficial. In certain directions, we can say that a resurfacing of Warholian spirit is happening, supporting popular culture as a creative source and legitimizing the practice of art manufacture.
We can place Radi and other artists who surfaced in the early new millenium as products of a decade which tried to distance itself from art with sociopolitical tendencies. In practice, they tried to find their own way to find a visual languange that is more instant by taking whatever is deemed interesting, cool and light to the eye. They do not burden art with social, political or philosophical content, but present themselves as 'artists' who work on superficial issues without burden. The credo is to move towards an anti-establisment on depth spirit (anti-meaning if need be).
It has been mentioned that there has been a change in art constellations that sticks itself to celebrity in todays popular culture: the 21st century society s all about celebrity. This change has impacted in the attitudes and mentalities of the artists in a real way. Art and artist attributes that have now become a lifestyle, helping people in defining where they stand, their values and so on to show their social standing. Radi does not reject this notion – even in his youth, Radi has the courage to change our routine ways in enjoying art.
There is no logic that supports the discrediting of an artist's belief thus placing him in a losing position compared to others, just because his interest in the superficial, light and inconsequential: all that which decreases the transcendent dimensions of art. Reversely, support would be given to the logic of a discoursive discussion defining which is art and which is not art. Therefore, although they have created positive rapport from various groups, their position in art's social scene is fragile. Relevant criticism about this phenomenon among them move towards a reason, read by the public that what they are doing is just an alibi to legalize their 'artistic products' as 'art'. As an artist whose career begun in the midst of all the changes ongoing in Indonesia, Radi seems to be aware of that dillema.
Towards the opening of his solo exhibition this year, Radi devised a visual strategy for his work by letting himself dissolve in esthetic achievements of Syunya Yamashita, Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara. In this process – notably risky process – Radi 'borrowed' various visual codes from them. There, is the risk that Radi may easily slip into a position as an artist in the shadows of the other three. Radi realises, although, that being an artist shadowed by other, more popular artists will sooner or later construct as part of himself. Like the birth of a culture (which goes through the processes of acculturation-inculturation), there will always be mixing, before peaking as an identity for a certain group of people. Radi seems to understand this logic. He places a lot of faith that the end result of the mixing of esthetic vocabularies from those popular pop artists from Japan will form his own identity.
Although Radi's admiration towards Syunya Yamashita, Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara are reflrected in his work appropriatively, we find a cleft where Radi stands as himself. This cleft is in the form of a small mascot in the form of a small furry animal with Radi's face – or a mini Radi with a pig's body. By placing this mascot, produced and also as a brand of the three Japanese artists, Radi also follows the same pattern. He named the maskot APET. We will see that APET generally is Radi's brand which appropriate Warholian'style manufacturing patterns – which had also inspired Murakami in the mid 1990s by creating the Hiropon Factory, which later grew to become Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd.
APET can mean 'sticky'. The character, represented by a small animal with Radi's face, sticks to various postures or just stands there. Tens of series of paintings in the APET package in this exhibition show funny postures of the mascot with sexy poses of young girls – an appropriation of Syunya Yamashita's work. Other than paintings, Radi also presents a sofa adapted from Andy Warhol's lipstick sofa; a carpet with the APET logo; a neon box with mega mendung patterning; some 3D printing work; seven acrylic boxes and seven boxes for the stichwork. Radi also produced three limted edition bag types. Last but not least, there were souvenirs in the form of watches, pins, and three t-shirt designs ready for mass production.
In this APET exhibition, it seems that Radi wants to make the comodification of artistic items wide open. He does not just paint or sculpt – his interest in fashion and mass production is presented with a particular characteristic and gives him space to build artistic ideas. Furthermore, we will see that APET is not just Radi's brand – it can also be understood as Radi's 'identity project'.
Art activity for Radi is not a reaction towards a social phenomenon, but a response to chance that may bring him towards a certain direction. If indeed there is a critical element within Radi's work, it may surface as something in the realms of fetish. In other words, through his personification, Radi is reflecting on the culture of consumption (and fetish) gripping today's society.
Auction advertisments spread in various art magazines (Sky Auction in Hong Kong and Tokyo, end of 2008), for those with sharper eyes and understading of Japanese contemporary artwork, had these interesting sentences: Are you tired of art derived from manga, animation and illustration? We are showing art with soul and a genuine philosophy. This is some sort of reaction, if not sharp criticism towards the growth of animamix (animation and comics) genres currently in interest by young Japanese artists (and other countries).
I think Radi will put properly to thought several things that await before him: with all the risk, critique and opportunities. Murakamian's Modus which has grown in his artistic process is certainly not a mistake, if not entirely correct. As a process in searching for identity, the symptoms of appropriation, parody and allegory is understood as something that young artists do to create a foundation for his or her identity. It is not an impossibility that someday it all will be left behind. It is also possible that in the space of a few years ahead, we may be comfortable with the term 'Radian' for artwork with Radi's characteristics.
Aminudin TH Siregar
