Born and raised in West Sumatra, Fika Ria Santika seeks to ground her practice in the Minangkabau culture, which is deeply rooted in nature. Ironically, such a fascination intensified when she migrated to Yogyakarta to pursue her artistic career, complicating her relationship to her home and ever-evolving identity. Santika has since built a practice through her intimate investigations with her materials, manipulating contemporary mediums and technology to create raw, organic forms that mirror natural phenomena.

Juxtaposing the natural and artificial in her work, she attempts to find harmony amid these conflicting realities—to reconcile the ancient philosophy of her roots with the modern world. Tumpuk Lapis Tampak Isi: Rona 10 employs acrylic, resin and neon light to create a series of luminous forms that allude to minute parts of nature: tentacle-like shapes stick out from rectangular containers glowing in pink and purple hues, appearing like strange organisms enclosed and magnified for scientific study. Moving viewers to notice their sensuous shapes, radiant colours, and intricate interplays of shadow and light, Santika invites us to see the sublime in the small, insignificant wonders of the natural world.