Wedhar Riyadi (b. 1980) is part of a group of Indonesian artists whose work is strongly influenced by the era of change, which saw the fall of the Suharto regime, the subsequent transition to democracy, and an increasing influx of Japanese and Western popular culture in local entertainment. The impact of these socio-political changes found expression in his work, which appropriates and draws upon various forms of mass media to create surreal, absurdist worlds.
Recently, Wedhar creates paintings that explore the pyschological depths of popular culture imagery and its implication. He focuses and expands upon the influence of the digital age and mass media, through distorting, rearranging and carving up imagery of the human figure.
Wedhar received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Indonesian Institute of Art in 2007. His wide-ranging practice encompasses drawings, paintings, murals, sculptures and illustration. Drawing upon various forms of mass media, Wedhar represents a generation of Indonesian artists whose works defy the traditional boundaries of fine art and popular culture. Wedhar has exhibited widely in Asia, Australia, Europe and USA. He participated in numerous editions of Art Jog (2021, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016) and in the 7th Asia Pacific Triennale of Contemporary Art (2012). In addition to numerous private collections worldwide, his works are included in the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (Australia), National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), Anne & Gordon Samtag Museum of Art (Australia) and the Akili Museum of Art (Indonesia).