Nurrachmat "Mas Ito" Widyasena

Nurrachmat Widyasena @mas_ito (born 1990) is an Indonesian artist who lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia. Majoring in printmaking arts at ITB Faculty of Art and Design, he primarily working in the applied techniques of printmaking, installation and painting. His works explores notions around retro futurism art, where he tries to stand in the crossroad of reality and fantasy.

The works of Nurrachmat Widyasena (Ito), from the beginning talked about retro futurism especially Space Age, an era of accelerating space technology that can be said to be the most advanced and high development costs. Retro futurism itself, is a style that combines the classic style of the past or retro with futuristic future technologies.

Ito's interest with the theme of retro futurism began at an early age, through the influence of his father, a telecommunications expert. Since childhood, Ito has been introduced to various readings on technology and retro futurism picture magazines. Not surprisingly, since childhood Ito was interested in science-fiction. Sci-fi genres in pop culture, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Space Odyssey and films related to time machines and futuristic technology, are the main consumption of Ito and friends of its generation. The popularity of sci-fi in pop culture globally shows the tightness of these two things. It could be said that sci-fi dominates pop culture in the West, with the result (especially Holywood films) being spread all over the world.

In several studies explained that the sci-fi genre offers an attitude of escapism from the chaotic world. This genre also provides a way for homesickness, nostalgia for the past, carefree times. However, Sci-fi also provides opportunities for critical representation of current situations and problems. In this case sci-fi can appear as a metaphor, allegory and even parody. In this latter context we can place an important position on Ito's works.