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About the artwork
In “The Winner,” Adi Gunawan’s character, dressed in boxing gear, is sitting atop a bull. Even though professional bull riding is a fierce and gruelling sport that involves great strength and stamina - Adi shows the figure emerging triumphant, exuberant as he lifts both arms in the air in victory. Influenced both by the artist’s personal love for boxing and his childhood growing up in agrarian Java, this joyful scene of a man riding atop a smiling bull illustrates the close connection that man and animal have - man does not need to control animals, but rather, they can co-exist peacefully and in harmony.
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.
Adi Gunawan represented Indonesia at the Beijing Olympics 2008 Fine Arts Exhibition, where he was bestowed the further honor of an Olympic Torch Award. Moreover, his works have been exhibited in various countries including Singapore, Malaysia, China, Olympic Museum in Lausanne in Switzerland and many more.
Adi Gunawan continues to be an influential figure in contemporary art, known for his ability to blend humor, culture, and technical prowess in his sculptures. He believes that art should not only be visually appealing but also thought-provoking and capable of evoking a wide range of emotions.
