Dividing his time between Indonesia and the United States for many years, Entang Wiharso (b. 1967, Indonesia) has established a provocative visual language that captures tensions between humans divided by elaborate political, cultural and religious systems.

With his unique perspective, he expresses both universal and contemporary themes relating power, loss, and identity, examining their profound impact on the human condition. He often draws from a diverse range of imagery, from vegetation to intestines to animal skins, imbuing his paintings with haunting, visceral drama.

Invisible Scar depicts a grotesque scene containing bones and various body parts helplessly floating amid a dark and desolate landscape. At the centre of the scene, a large piece of bone is slowly burning, while three dogs bark fiercely at the fire scene. Juxtaposing the dogs are two bald figures at the foreground and a small figure seated on the right, who appear calm and aloof amid the inferno.

Created in 2021, the painting captures a collective mood widespread in the world today, in which many people are, alas, becoming resigned to the urgent tragedies pervading the news. Yet, simultaneously, people have learned to build their own bonfires, surviving by creating warmth and solace amid the darkness.