Ocean Eyes by Laksamana Ryo

Curated by : Citra Pratiwi
A Solo Exhibition By: Laksamana Ryo

A Solo Exhibition By: Laksamana Ryo
Info & Inquiry:
e: langgengfoundation@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +62818467743
8 Agustus - 30 September 2020
Langgeng Art Foundation
Jl Suryodiningratan 37 A Yogyakarta

Ocean Eyes: Of that which are Split and Wrapped by Laksamana Ryo
Citra Pratiwi
Laksamana Ryo (b. 1993) is a young artist who grew up in the coastal city of Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Ryo grew
up with Sunday morning cartoon serials, “Emo” music, and Indonesian translated manga comics. Since young, Ryo has
been familiar with the hustle and bustle of the home-based garment industry. Industrial life, labor and transnational
work circumstances permeated into his local environment and became the life that he experienced, becoming Ryo's
creative reservoir. Ryo's daily existence is closely related to that life (industry, workers and transnational work), creating
a unique landscape that he pours into his art.
In this solo exhibition, Ryo ameliorates his views on how pop culture grows. Titled “Ocean Eyes”, Ryo presents a series
of figures, exhibiting a particular eye style known as “Big Eyes” in pop surrealism. This “Big Eyes” style was first
introduced by Margaret Keane in the 1950s. Big eyes visual imagery in paintings usually depicts childish purity by
magnifying the size of the eyes.
But Ryo’s paintings are somewhat different. His figures are inspired by portraitures of popular icons. The figures in
Ryo's portrait works tend to be satirical, despite them being presented in a cute atmosphere. The combination of
surreal situations, based on dreamy desires and the subconscious, blends with the mundane and superficial, such as
fashion, toys, games and superheroes.
Ryo's big-eye figure not only represents something naïve. These figures blend together the identity struggle between
being local and imagined desires to be global. In this solo exhibition, Ryo presents industrial objects such as cotton
flowers, zinc, cardboard, and fashion brands. This stylization was chosen by Ryo as a memento of his past, at the same
time, Ryo's attempt to translate the meaning of pop culture itself.
In this exhibition, Ryo presents three experiments. First is the cutting canvas, where the canvas is cut and mounted
onto hardboard in the shape of the figure. He installs these cutting canvases on rusty scrapped zinc sheets. Then, in his
second experiment, he wraps his works in cardboard, which is then partially torn off, adding ‘Fragile’ stickers around
the cardboard edges. The artwork can be seen peeping from behind the torn cardboard. In the 3rd experiment, Ryo
presents portrait paintings of imaginary figures he’s chosen, adorned with splashes of acrylic paint.
Ryo seems to have built an imaginary realm of chaos; dirty and damaged becoming the aesthetic atmosphere. It is here
that Ryo invites the audience to enter a space that isn’t singular, boisterous and mutually friendly; but in a sense this
space is what Ryo experiences as his reality within our urban expanse. Ocean Eyes is a binocular of dreams, desires
and imaginations that arise from hopes for a trendy, dapper and “now” life. Where are you in these paintings?

Mata Lautan: yang Terbelah dan Terbungkus oleh Laksamana Ryo
Citra Pratiwi
Laksamana Ryo (b. 1993) seniman muda yang besar di kota pesisir Banyuwangi. Ryo, demikian sapaan akrabnya, besar
bersama serial film kartun di hari minggu pagi, musik “Emo”, dan komik manga terjemahan terbitan Elex Media. Sejak
kecil Ryo akrab dengan hiruk pikuk kerja konveksi. Kehidupan industri, buruh dan situasi kerja transnasional merasuk ke
dalam lingkungan lokal dirinya dan menjadi sebuah kehidupan yang ia alami. Kehidupan sehari-hari inilah, menjadi
endapan kreatif Ryo. Kehidupan Ryo sehari-hari yang erat dengan kehidupan tersebut (industri, buruh dan pekerja
transnasional) menjadi sebuah lanskap unik yang ia tuangkan di dalam karya seninya.
Pada pameran tunggal kali ini, Ryo semakin mempertajam pandangannya mengenai bagaimana kultur pop tumbuh.
Mengusung tajuk “Ocean Eyes” atau Mata Lautan, Ryo menghadirkan serangkaian figur dengan stilisasi yang terletak
pada bagian mata atau dikenal dengan mata besar (big eyes). Stilisasi mata besar ini pertama kali diperkenalkan oleh
Margaret Keane di tahun 50-an di Amerika Serikat. Citra visual mata besar di dalam lukisan, kebanyakan
menggambarkan sosok kemurnian kanak-kanak dengan memberikan fokus dengan memperbesar ukuran mata pada
penggambaran sosok objek lukisan.
Karya Ryo hadir dalam tujuan yang berbeda. Figur-figur lukisan Ryo diilhami dari ikon-ikon populer yang hadir dalam
bentuk potret. Sosok dalam karya Ryo memiliki makna cenderung satir meskipun hadir dalam suasana imut. Perpaduan
antara situasi surealis, yang didasarkan pada hasrat mimpi dan ketidaksadaran, berpadu dengan gambaran hal-hal
duniawi yang permukaan seperti fashion, toys, game dan superhero.
Figur mata besar Ryo, tidak hanya menghadirkan sesuatu yang naif. Figur-figur ini hadir berpadu dengan persoalan
pertarungan identitas antara yang lokal dan imajinasi hasrat global. Di dalam pameran tunggal ini Ryo menghadirkan
objek - objek industri seperti bunga kapas, seng, kardus, dan merek. Stilisasi ini dipilih oleh Ryo sebagai kenangkenangan
dari endapan masa lalu pelukis, sekaligus, upaya Ryo menerjemahkan makna budaya pop itu sendiri.
Ryo di dalam pameran ini melakukan tiga macam eksperimen. Pertama ia menghadirkan kanvas tidak dengan persegi
namun memotong sesuai figurnya dan ia tempel di rangkaian instalasi seng bekas yang penuh coretan. Ke-dua dia
membungkus karyanya dengan kardus kemudian menyobeknya dan menempelkan stiker fragile di sekeliling kardus. Kita
bisa menyaksikan lukisan hadir dari balik sobekan kardus tersebut. Eksperimen ke-3 Ryo menghadirkan lukisan potret
atas figur imajinasi yang ia pilih dengan tehnik cipratan dengan cat akrilik.
Ryo seperti membangun sebuah alam imajinasi mengenai suasana yang tidak tertib, kotor, rusak sebagai estetik.
Disinilah Ryo mengajak audiens memasuki sebuah ruang yang tidak tunggal, riuh dan saling bertrabakan namun di satu
sisi ruang inilah yang Ryo alami sebagai sebuah kenyataan yang berangkat dari ruang urban kita. Ocean Eyes atau Mata
Lautan menjadi sebuah teropong atas mimpi, hasrat dan imajinasi yang terbangun dari harapan-harapan atas hidup
yang keren, necis dan kini. Dimanakah dirimu di dalam lukisan-lukisan ini?

Laksamana Ryo
Laksamana Ryo (b. 1993, Banyuwangi ) is graduated from Indonesian Institute of Art
Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He received the Gold Award – UOB Painting of the year 2015,
Emerging Artist Category.
Selected Exhibition
2020
WHAAAAAT'S STUDIO OPENING, Taiwan
2019
The 7th Art Taichung, Taiwan
Hotel Art Fair, Bangkok
AArt Citizen Art Shanghai

The Beauty
60x45 cm
Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
2020

The Gift
60 x 45 cm
Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Popular Memory “Astroboy”
60 x 45 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Popular Memory “Goku
60 x 45 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Awareness
100 x 80 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Popular Memory “Fantasize”
160 x 110 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Popular Memory “Conan”
60 x 45 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Popular Memory “Pixel”
60 x 45 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Shop and Chill
60 x 60 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

Give Me One More Time
60 x 60 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

I Am A Princess
60 x 60 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

In The Name Of Happiness
60 x 60 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

Daydream Cotton
118 x 97 cm
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Slowly Heal and Grow
117 x 117 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Take Me Home
147 x 95 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Until the Peak
117 x 90 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

Fallen Seeds
117 x 97 cm
Oil on Canvas
2020

Parents My
Sahyude
Jamal Al Idrus
S.
Loh UC
Pratiwi
Citra
Guenzel
Kai
Mustghifry
Sutajaya
Elang
Sisil
aka Ali
Decki
Luh Putu Indra Dewi Anjani
Ni
Amali
Fajar
Hasan
Rizal
Manullang
Valdo
Art Material
Jogja
Art Foundation
Langgeng
Laksamana Ryo want to say sincerely THANK YOU to:
Artemis Art Kuala Lumpur