My practice revolves around political and socio-economical concepts, raising the issues of imperialism, globalisation, postcolonialism, and indigenous empowerment, particularly in Indonesia. Utilising performative and contemporary elements of art-making, I'm reclaiming the art space as an act of decolonisation and resistance against hyper-capitalistic culture.

Weaving symbols and metaphors into the material, my practice often invokes juxtaposing double entendre that the viewers may decipher from each material; for example, the batik textile as a symbol of ethnic identity as well as being the product of Javanese imperialism. By contextualising the material, my practice reframes the archives of Indonesian history as a critique of blind nationality and chauvinism, provoking the viewers into questioning the canon and the propaganda; the colonised and the coloniser; the oppressed and the oppressor.

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Henri Affandi is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He earned his degree in BA (Hon) Fine Art: Painting from Wimbledon College of Arts in 2021. He has been involved in a number of exhibitions, including a solo exhibition at LCF High Holborn, a collaborative performance at Copeland Gallery, Peckham in March 2020, and the upcoming show When Things Grow Wrong at Museum de Lakenhal, Leiden between October 2021 to January 2022. Henri is active in several art-related positions, most notably as part of the artistic team of Art Jakarta 2019 and as the art director for so + soo’s inaugural fashion collection in 2020. Henri also co-founded the creative platform HINDSITE, focusing on cultivating emerging artists of different backgrounds. Henri’s artworks have been featured in various media outlets such as the Guardian UK, Jubi.co.id, and Suara.com amongst many others.