Written by
Where's the frame
November 2, 2021 11:47 AM
GMT
Like nothing else in the universe, artist Kris Sutardjo—or more popularly known as IRSKIY, distinctly coagulate abstraction and figuration into his works through texture, colour and composition experimentations, to obtain elements of surprise on each piece; Which discovery truly exhilarate him and his audience, and had become addicting, too. Here are 5 questions.
Which of your pieces is your personal favourite, and you feel like it is like nothing else in your universe? Share your thoughts and stories behind it!
I think they're all my favorite hahaha and I really mean that but I'd say my current favorite would be the Little Eva series - it's inspired by my then three year old niece, Gaga, who is the cutest toddler in the world! I just love seeing her expression - her laughs, tantrums, the way she talks, walks, eats, dresses, basically everything. So I tried to translate that into an artwork where I drew her face with ink and marker and collaged the rest of her body which was something I've never done before. This combination (drawings and collages put together) is something I discovered while working on this particular series and it became my new language/approach.
https://www.irskiy.com/collage/little-eva-ii
https://www.irskiy.com/collage/little-eva-and-ice-cream-black-strip
https://www.irskiy.com/collage/little-suspenders
How do you get into your creative state of mind?
I wake up super early in the morning to help boost my creativity. Not thinking too much about technique and the end result is also key, you know, just let it flow. I'm also blessed to be able to make whatever I want without wondering what people say or think - it's a mental thing. There's zero pressure and I believe this helps me do and think out of the box, take risks and discover new approaches in art-making.
Another thing is I blast music in my studio, specifically 80's like Taylor Dayne's "Tell it To My Heart", or Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round" - that's what makes me dance, and when I dance I make the best art hehehe :)
What are you looking forward to the most after the pandemic ends (hopefully soon!)?
I hope so too! I don't really go out as much even before the pandemic but just hanging out with family and close friends, going to physical exhibitions/fairs and visiting other artists' studios would be nice. I'm not an introvert, I just enjoy being alone most of the time (that sounded like an introvert lol). I also want to travel to countries like Japan and Sweden, see what their culture is like first hand.
What’s your favorite Indonesian food?
I have way too many but here's my current favorite: oxtail soup, bebek goreng Sanjay (best fried duck ever!), soto betawi, sate kambing (lamb satay). I love traditional sweets too - can't get enough of Lupis, Wajik, Klepon.
Can you tell me a little bit about the Indonesian art ecosystem?
I think it's still a growing ecosystem and there's plenty of room for improvement but in general I noticed collaborations between artists and brands/other artists are becoming more common these days which is a very good thing though I'd like to see more programs being developed catered to younger artists to introduce, train and nurture them into becoming professional artists and have their works accessible in the global art market.
You can collect the pieces he's created for LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE here.
Follow Artist on his instagram and website.
Artwork photographs courtesy of the artist. Portraits taken by the artist
where’s the frame? - ‘LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE’ is a collection of 6 up and coming international artists. The collection is available from October 14, 2021 until January 14, 2022.
