Naughty Boy

Angki Purbandono, born 1971 is one of Indonesia's most prominent artists from culturally rich Yogyakarta. He's noted for his scanographies, which are photographic images created from scanning objects using a flat-bed image scanner. The effect of this method is different from taking a photograph with a camera. With a flat-bed scanner the depth of field is reduced, and the distance is much closer making images vivid and very detailed. The light that is emitted from the scanner, being so close to the objects also casts a flood-light effect and contrasts the objects well against its background.

Scan art has been around for some time now, but Angki Purbandono's approach is unique and not without wit and social statements. In a 2010 exhibition entitled "Noodles" Angki placed a compact cluster of instant noodles at the center of the piece and called it "Superman is Dead":

"Angki warns that flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate are dangerous for people with severe, poorly controlled asthma, while flavors derived from sardines or yeast extract are not recommended for vegetarians, vegans and even superheroes." - Jakarta Post

For his most recent solo show at the Mizuma Gallery entitled "The Swimmers", Angki stayed and worked for 10 months at the Yogyakarta Narcotics Penitentiary where inmates participated in putting up the Prison Arts Program in 2013.

"… I already had in mind some inmates, who were doing art, with whom I wanted to work. The series became a little like a prison diary, but not only for my mind. It also represented a diary for other inmates. I learned a lot about the system, ethics and the power of attitude when facing different situations. In relation to the objects, I always used memory as a stimulant. Found objects become metaphors for memory itself. I want the objects to look symbolic and beautiful because I believe beauty is essential to art."
- Angki Purbandono


*With quotes from Jakarta Post and Mizuma Gallery website