Robot dapur (Kitchen robot) 2009

Nyoman Masriadi made this painting, Robot dapur, or Kitchen Robot, and I can just imagine him laughing as he did it. Look at this figure, all metal and grime, holding a giant fork in one hand and what looks like a shield in the other. Except this robot’s got a working oven in its chest, and a chicken is cooking inside! The robot is all silver and beige tones, except for the red visor, and plumes of smoke rising up on either side of its head. I can just imagine Masriadi, smirking as he mixed his paints, loading the brush, maybe wiping some of it off, layering the colors like he's building up this character, piece by piece. What’s it like to be in the studio, wrestling with these ideas and images that feel so of the moment, but also timeless? He brings in the tropes of superheroes, or manga, or science fiction. It’s a conversation with popular imagery as much as with the history of painting.