Born in Yogyakarta, 1984

Riono Tanggul or Tatang (b. 1984, Yogyakarta) graduated from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts. His work exemplifies his interest in objects' values, and how their ownership and surrounding environment influence these values. He explores how objects can lose or acquire value depending on their societal roles. By examining the shifting dynamics, Tatang questions our perception of value and how fragile it is, easily manipulated by external factors such as place and time.

Tatang uses various painting and drawing mediums to depict and juxtapose objects—artifacts, statues, herbs, gemstones, animal trophies, and predator hides—that show how their worth is subjective, determined by practical use, aesthetic appeal, or both. This observation of object value often challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of worth, whether it is spiritual, material, or social. He also highlights how objects once central to spiritual or cultural practices, and even living things, can become commodified, reduced and stripped of their original meaning in the eyes of the modern consumer.