Adi Gunawan

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About the artwork

In this sculpture, Adi Gunawan depicts two figures, a mother holding a ladder for a child ascending to the top. The ladder, a frequent element in Adi Gunawan’s art, symbolizes progress and, ultimately, success. This work, entitled “Reaching for the Stars” is a gentle reminder that success is often achieved with the help of others, and that working together to reach a goal is a noble pursuit. The maternal love shared between these two personas cannot be missed, with the comforting yet powerful presence of the mother providing stability for her child. Combined effort can make even impossible tasks, such as reaching the stars, possible to achieve. Adi Gunawan’s symbolic sculpture reminds us to help each other in difficult times because the highest achievements in life are those that are shared.

About the artist

Born in Yogyakarta in 1974, Adi Gunawan received his education at the Institut Seni Indonesia. He is a prominent Indonesian sculptor known for his distinctive and often playful and satirical bronze sculptures. In his symbolic sculptures, Adi invokes exploration of themes related to human behavior, social issues, and cultural traditions. He uses his cultural positioning as a tool to visualize motions, gestures, characters and expressions of various subjects that he sculpts. He often incorporates elements of Indonesian folklore and everyday life, giving his pieces a rich cultural context. Growing up in an Agrarian society, he depicts a lot of animals in his work. The symbiotic and mystical relationship between animals and humans is well expressed in his artworks.