"Through my art I am able to speak out and resist the things I disagree with - conventional thinking, the abuse of power and other injustices."
excerpt from an interview of Ashley Bickerton with Entang Wiharso
Artasiapacific issue 87, March/April 2014
In Wiharso’s works the artist’s personal experiences are blended with the careful examination of the predominant socio-political conditions of his homeland Indonesia. Through the influences of Pop Art and Surrealism, Wiharso’s allegories of psychic stress exude moods of hysteria, dark humor and satire coming from within the complex political systems of ethnicity, race and religion. Reflecting problems concerning conflicts, dreams and tragedies, he combines local motifs and international slogans, signs, philosophical language and punch lines from various sources of media in order to include ‘the primitive’ in his life. Wiharso’s exhibition at Dirimart includes his relief-like sculptures from graphite powder, resin mixture, brass and aluminum besides a painting with manipulated figures of strong colors acting dramatically to display its own eccentricity
