Nurrachmat Widyasena

Nurrachmat Widyasena (born 1990), widely known as Mas Ito, is an artist based in Bandung whose practice explores themes of retro-futurism, positioned at the intersection of reality and fantasy. He playfully frames himself as a “naïve third-world Asian,” using humour to re-examine the utopian dreams of the space age. Through deliberately modest technical approaches, Mas Ito’s works offer a critical reflection on technological progress in Indonesia.

Working across media such as painting, installation, metal plates, wood, and found objects, he constructs an absurd yet thought-provoking sci-fi universe from a third-world perspective. While his works often speak about the future, they ultimately reveal how technology and science shape global cultural and political aspirations for a better life. Beyond his artistic practice, Mas Ito is also a co-founder of the geeky fashion brand KITC, which further informs his engagement with pop culture and the visual identity of younger generations.

Title : Happy Little Catastrophe

In this work, I invite Bob Ross, the iconic television painter of calm and serenity, to imagine the future of Indonesia. Yet instead of painting happy little trees, he now depicts a future capital that feels barren, dark, and unfamiliar. A dry, desolate landscape becomes the stage for dreams that are beginning to fracture.

By working with aluminium and crushed metal plates, I aim to evoke rigidity and destruction simultaneously. The futuristic capital, envisioned as a symbol of “Indonesia Emas”, instead appears like ruins before construction has even begun, a paradox reflecting an ambitious project left suspended midway.

This work serves as a critique of ecology sacrificed in the name of progress, of green land transformed into empty blueprints. Through a retro-futuristic approach, I pose a question: are we truly building the future, or are we enthusiastically dismantling it?

Size : 40 x 70 x 15 cm

Medium : Digital printing on aluminium surface

Year : 2025