Ridwan

Ridwan’s style is characterized by flat planes of color and graphic images involving bright, candy-colored depictions of cartoon-like characters. Often decorated with a camouflage design- his wide-eyed, childlike characters are shown pursuing fantastic adventures. He appropriates popular themes from mass media and pop culture, such as that seen in cartoons, advertisements and consumer goods.

As a young artist growing up in the developing world Ridwan has been heavily influenced by Western Society, particularly the popular culture of the United States. He has absorbed a great deal through imported movies and music as well as looking to the two-dimensional style of some Japanese cartoons, referred to as anime and manga. Ridwan has also looked to the artist Murakami- incorporating his method of producing flat and two-dimensional objects- creating a sense of no depth or perspective.

Ridwan’s trademark use of vibrant, bright and fresh colors creates a magical yet striking scene of dream-like fantasies. His works often capture that tension between the innocence of childhood and the experience of adulthood, with his cartoon-like images sometimes displaying a more dynamic undertone.

He begins by creating a collage of images taken from cartoons and comics. He then Sketches these images onto his blank canvas and adds his own trademark images. After refining the layout and ensuring no area is left untouched- he begins the laborious process of painting. To achieve the smooth candy-shell high gloss finish Ridwan applies layer after layer of acrylic paint, often working with hundreds of different colors for one work.