I Nyoman Masriadi

T.K. Sabapathy, Nyoman Masriadi: Reconfiguring the Body, Gajah Gallery, Singapore, 2010, p. 14; illustrated, p.14 & 209, colourplates

The painting is in good condition, as is the canvas, which is clear and taut. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no indication of retouching. The paint layers are intact.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"The overall impression is that the violence at the center stage is madness and yet so ordinary that it makes no headline.

Still, it is the images of open physical violence that make the grotesque in Masriadi's canvasses stir. At times, it suggests circumstances so fiendish that the whole canvas allows no jocular interruption. Ini Boss! (Here it is, Boss!) is an exposure of a frightening savagery: a bleeding, beheaded cat, a vicious-looking dog, and shadows of a bully and a terrified body that merged into the child's. And the child grins. It is a diabolical smile."

GOENAWAN MOHAMAD CITED IN  T. K. SABAPATHY, Nyoman Masriadi: Reconfiguring the Body, GAJAH GALLERY, SINGAPORE, 2010, P. 14.

There is no doubt that the looming shadows in the background give the present work its gravitas. Without them, it would be a scene of an ordinary delinquent carrying a decapitated cat. The shadows place the boy as a witness to a bullying scene, but he is clearly unaffected. Then again, he does not seem normal. Outwardly, he looks like a boy wearing a white t-shirt with Batman emblazoned on its front, but wearing an icon does not make him share his characteristics. In fact, his actions seem to be the complete opposite. Masriadi cleverly leaves further hints of this by depicting the boy's hair in the shape of an upside down bat.

Given the time frame of this painting's completion, it was executed between Dewa Perang (War God), Lot 238, and Untitled – Hospital Bed (illustrated in a reference image for Lot 238). Both works grapple with the subject of power abuse, hypocrisy, unethical behavior and perfidy. This was clearly Masriadi's foremost preoccupation during this period (the explanation for this is discussed in detail in the catalogue note for Lot 238), and if Dewa Perang (War God) and Untitled – Hospital Bed, depicted the people who caused the abuse, the present Lot illustrates their influence on the lives of those around them. Although relatively smaller, this important vignette completes the arc and becomes a part of the history that Masriadi documented.