Irfan Hendrian

By Megan Arlin

Irfan Hendrian Rusted corrugated steel, wood slab, salmon wood, concrete slab & brick, 2021 sculpted paper 40.2 x 42 x 6 cm Irfan Hendrian spends most of his time in his studio in Bandung, meticulously crafting sculptures out of paper every day. Formerly a mosque, Hendrian’s studio is a constant work-in-progress. To Hendrian, his studio is perpetually ‘under construction’ and he makes upgrades to his studio annually, with a projected concept of how it will be in the back of his mind. At present, he describes his studio as ‘three-fifths’ completed, with a paper-processing centre, woodworking workshop, meeting room, and small backyard for monthly barbecues. His eventual goal would be to have an additional design studio and space for artist residencies, with the intention of having more artists, designers and architects to work together at his studio. As Hendrian once quipped, ‘I’ll lure them with my barbecue’.

Hendrian’s formal training in graphic design and industrial printmaking is the groundwork for his craft. Since 2011, Hendrian has been mostly working with paper—applying an efficient and logical approach to creating works that reduce and subtract, drawing everything down to their most essential states. Since then, Hendrian’s works have evolved from small sculptures to large-scale ones, all the while retaining the use of paper as his primary medium.

‘Paper is a big part of my life,’ says Hendrian, and he plans to maximise the potential of this simple medium by using unconventional techniques not previously employed in traditional artmaking.

Having recently been awarded the Deustche Bank Pacific Fellowship, Hendrian has the perfect opportunity to further his practice during the Leipzig International Art Programme. Starting November 2021, Hendrian will begin his three-month residency in Leipzig. He plans to expand his practice by exploring how economical, political and racial relations are negotiated through paper. His fascination with this idea lies in how people identify themselves and see the world through a medium as simple as paper. With his background in graphic design, he views himself as ‘an engineer’ of sorts, understanding the process and machinery involved in working with paper. He continues to apply the same methodology in his practice and, at the end of it, seeks to remove the obvious language of paper—its functional use—to understand its ‘ghost’.

As he prepares to embark on his three-month residency in Leipzig, Germany, Hendrian has already begun closely examining the geopolitical landscapes of Leipzig in relation to his hometown of Bandung, Indonesia. To Hendrian, Leipzig and Bandung share a similar history in the print industry. After the economy crisis and fall of the New Order Regime In Indonesia in 1998, Bandung became well-known for being a pioneer in printing, supporting a range of other industries nationwide. At that time, ideas and research from universities were freely trasmitted in Bandung. In an uncanny parallel, Leipzig likewise faced a similar situation. After the reunification, Leipzig saw economic collapse that came after, but through the transmission of, ideas through paper, print and publishing. It helped them to look back at their rich history and helped both cities develop into major cultural centers.

Hendrian’s next step is to continue to expand his studio and share its evolution with those around him. With many works-in-progress, Hendrian will show them as a pop-up exhibition before he moves to Leipzig. This pop-up exhibition will also be available for viewing online through Sullivan+Strumpf viewing room.

Irfan Hendrian Rusted corrugated steel, wood slab, salmon wood, concrete slab & brick, 2021 sculpted paper 40.2 x 42 x 6 cm