b. 1999
Indonesia

Muhiqballs

Muhiqballs is an artist from Bugis, South Sulawesi, who has lived and worked in Yogyakarta since 2017. His background in Fine Arts, particularly painting and visual arts, has shaped his perspective on the world: between the personal and the symbolic, between memory and representation. In his works, Muhiqballs often retraces his childhood through the metaphor of Tau-Tau from Tana Toraja, a traditional figure representing death, but in his hands transformed into a symbol of irrevocable memories. Through Tau-Tau, he weaves a connection between loss and nostalgia, between tradition and the ever-changing identity. Muhiqballs’ visuals exude a vibrant pop energy. He combines popular icons, such as Marvel, DC, and Disney characters, and even national heroes, into imaginative landscapes rich with meaning. Amidst the striking colors and expressive gestures, lies the inner journey of a child growing up surrounded by the collective memory of popular culture, slowly coming to terms with his own traditions. Some of Muhiqballs’s works also demonstrate a clever visual dialogue with art history, as he reinterprets works by old masters with a personal and humorous approach. Through these reinterpretations, he not only revives classical narratives but also negotiates them within the context of contemporary popular culture. For Muhiqballs, painting is an attempt to reweave fragments of memories from childhood, death, and the
journey to adulthood into a vibrant, humorous, and reflective visual whole.