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About the artwork
Indonesian Artist Adi Gunawan is known for his symbolic sculptures, which often explore the significance of animals, due to his cultural background of growing up in an Agrarian society. In this whimsical sculpture, Gunawan reverses conventional roles, as he depicts his signature bulbous figure carrying an elephant. While the elephant has traditionally been seen as a symbol of strength and steadfastness, in this sculpture the power dynamic between man and animal is humorously inverted, as the figure is now seemingly stronger than the animal, and the elephant appears to be thoroughly enjoying its rest on his back.
About the artist
Adi was born in Yogyakarta in 1974, Indonesia and received his education at Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta. In his symbolic sculptures, Adi invokes euphoria and the significance of animals in his work due to his cultural background of growing up in an agrarian society. He uses his cultural positioning as a tool to visualize motions, gestures, characters and expressions of various subjects that he sculpts. He then conveys constructed meaning which, in and through his forms, figures and compositions, puts forth the issue of a mystical relationship between animals and humans. Adi’s highest accolade thus far was representing Indonesia at the Beijing Olympics 2008 Fine Arts Exhibition, where he was bestowed the further honor of an Olympic Torch Award. His sculpture toured Hong Kong, the United States, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland and many other countries.