About the artwork
In "Fighting", Gunawan depicts one of his characteristic bulbous figure literally "taking a bull by [its] horns". This physicalisation of thepopular phrase juxtaposes the violence of the scenario with the inherent softness of Gunawan's figures that exaggerate the curves of the human bodies through his signature style of rounded bodies. In doing so, Gunawan expresses the delicate nature of the human condition in how, fragile beings that we are, have no choice but to go out into the world everyday to fight for our livings.
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.