Robot dapur (Kitchen robot) 2009

Nyoman Masriadi painted Robot Dapur – Kitchen Robot – and it’s a hoot! The whole thing is kind of silvery, but there are these amazing rusty reds all over, suggesting the metal robot is corroding. It’s a pretty flat picture overall, but where the paint is thicker, like around the fork and shield, or the steam coming from the robot’s head, you get a better sense of volume. And hey, is that a chicken in his oven? I guess that's where the steam comes from. I love the drips and inconsistencies in the silver paint; it reminds me a bit of Sigmar Polke, but with this pop art sheen. Think about those corroded red parts and then the chicken roasting inside, is it like a mechanical hell in there? Masriadi gets away with it all by being so playful, like the robot is some kind of dark, funny monster. It’s like he's saying nothing and everything all at once.