Friendly Neighbor: Riso Art with RPFF
When two artists, Agugn and Sekarputi—a married couple and the duo behind RPFF—first moved to Bali in 2018, they were hit with a completely different kind of life than what they were used to. Raised in the city and surrounded by concrete and crowds, suddenly they were waking up to views of rice fields, birdsong, and open skies. It was beautiful, unfamiliar, and quietly life-changing.
That experience inspired the name of their collaborative identity: RPFF, short for Rice Paddy Field Forever, loosely referencing The Beatles’ song, Strawberry Fields Forever—a song that felt introspective, surreal, and slightly wistful enough to capture the moment. It was their way of holding onto that feeling of arrival, of suddenly being surrounded by nature after years of city life. It also marked the beginning of their shared creative journey as a couple and as collaborators.
But like all things creative, RPFF didn’t stay static. Over the years, the name itself became a kind of loose shell—something they carried, but not always tightly. In many projects and exhibitions, they were still recognized as individual artists, each with their own style and career paths. But something shifted in 2024. This was the year Sekarputi decided to dive headfirst into riso printing. With that step came a new meaning for their shared name: Riso Print for Friends.
This wasn’t just a rebrand. It was a rebirth. And it came with an exciting new project: Friendly Neighbor: Riso Art with RPFF.
The Art Jakarta Debut: RAD Booth scene S33 , 4-6 October 2024
The project made its first public appearance at Art Jakarta 2024, where RAD (Ruang Arta Derau)—the art space that was also commandeered by Sekarputi and Agugn and RPFF’s recent new home—hosted a cozy and collaborative booth. Here, Friendly Neighbor came to life as a warm and colorful celebration of printmaking, friendship, and creative community.
For its first edition, RPFF invited 24 artists from across Indonesia—spanning regions like Bali, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, and Makassar—to explore the possibilities of riso printing together. Even Eddie Hara, who now lives in Basel, Switzerland, joined the project. Each artist brought their own vision, energy, and voice that felt as diverse as the country itself.
So, Friendly Neighbor made its debut at Art Jakarta 2024, and honestly, it couldn’t have been a more fitting stage. As one of Southeast Asia’s biggest contemporary art events, Art Jakarta brings together a vibrant mix of artists, collectors, and curious audiences—perfect for a project rooted in collaboration, diversity, and artistic friendship.
Promotional poster and booth for Ruang Arta Derau at Art Jakarta 2024 (booth scene)
Launching in Jakarta, a buzzing urban hub, gave Friendly Neighbor a bold and meaningful first impression—one that echoed the project’s very essence. By stepping into Art Jakarta’s dynamic landscape, the initiative tapped into a broader conversation about printmaking, sustainability, and the richness of creative networks. At the heart of it all was the Riso machine—not just a printing tool, but the glue that held this collaboration together. Known for its layered textures, bold pigments, and delightfully unpredictable outcomes, the Riso offered the perfect playground for exploration and experimentation.
RPFF embraced its full potential with an eco-conscious twist: using soy-based inks on 170gsm White Vellum Fedrigoni paper, they stayed true to a process that was both playful and mindful. The resulting prints captured a spectrum of styles and moods—some bold (like Inner Bloom by Martcellia Liunic), others soft (like The Last Third of the Night by Yudho); some rooted in nostalgia (Back to School by Adi Gunawan), others pushing forward (A Note of Strength by Sukutangan). Yet across this spectrum, every piece spoke the same language: one of connection and interconnectedness, a unity that defines “Friendly Neighbour.”
(From left to right, clockwise): Inner Bloom by Martcelia Liunic (2024), The Last Third of the Night by Yudho (2024), A Note of Strength by Sukutangan (2024), Back to School by Adi Gunawan (2024). All artworks are riso prints 38×29cm, numbered and embossed.
A Visual Manifesto of Friendship
At Art Jakarta, the RAD booth felt like a mini festival of ideas. The walls were lined with riso prints, ceramics, and totem-inspired pieces—a continuation of the collaborative spirit between Agugn and Puti. You could see their fingerprints everywhere: in the textures, the color palettes, the shapes. But what made the booth truly stand out was the presence of so many different artists, each one bringing their own story to the table.
While the unique character of the Riso machine—something of a hybrid between manual and mechanical processes (with it’s quirky, unpredictable nature; a machine that still allows for happy accidents and imperfections in the final outcome)—was on full display, the real heartbeat of the project came from the people involved, each bringing their own rhythm, style, and story into the fold.
Some of them were no strangers to RAD. Artists like Arwin Hidayat, Surya Subratha, Kunci SV, and Eka Sudarma Putra had just wrapped up Sopan Santuy–a fun group exhibition at RAD in September 2024. Their participation in Friendly Neighbor felt like a natural continuation of that momentum, an expansion of the conversations they had already started through painting, sculpture, and installation. It was another way to translate their voices into print, and bring the energy of RAD’s physical space into a wider audience.
But one contribution stood out with a deeper, more emotional weight: the inclusion of previously unseen works by the late Ipong Purnama Sidhi. His 4 pieces in this project are based on sketches from his personal sketchbook, created sometime around 2017-2018. Quiet, reflective, and raw, the sketch carries a certain intimacy. In many ways, this work becomes a posthumous nod to Ipong’s legacy, and a quiet reminder of how artists can still speak to us long after they’ve left the room. In the context of Friendly Neighbor, Ipong’s inclusion becomes more than just symbolic—it’s deeply personal reminders that friendship and artistic dialogue don’t have to end. They continue in new forms—in this case, through sketches reborn in riso ink.
Sungai Petani by Ipong Purnama Sidhi (2017, made into riso print in 2024), 17.5×22cm.
The full lineup of artists in Friendly Neighbor reads like a colorful map of Indonesia’s creative landscape—each name a different shade, each print a different voice. Together, they’ve created a kind of visual statement, just like how neighbors carry their own stories, yet still belong to the same community. And this community doesn’t just celebrate individual talent, but elevates the collective, the connection, the collaborative spirit.
Here’s the full list of artists who joined the first edition of Friendly Neighbor:
AGUGN
SEKARPUTI SIDHIAWATI
IPONG PURNAMA SIDHI
AGUS KEPALA KOSONK
ARWIN HIDAYAT
SURYA SUBRATHA
EDDIE HARA
YKHA AMELZ
YUDHO
DIELA MAHARANI
MICHAEL ALEXANDER (MEK.T)
NAELA ALI
RESTU RATNANINGTYAS
IKA VANTIANI
DARMIKA SOLAR
KUNCIR SATYA VIKU
YULINAR RUSMAN
CITRA SASMITA
ADI GUNAWAN (BENANG BAJA)
MARTCELLIA LIUNIC
RINALDO HAARTANTO
WICKANA
ESP (EKA SUDARMA PUTRA)
SUKUTANGAN
NPAAW
VENDY METHODOS
FERANSIS
The Bigger Picture: A Shift in Space, Spirit, and Story
While the prints were the stars of the show, the story behind Friendly Neighbor runs even deeper. This project marked a full-circle moment for Agugn and Sekarputi—not just creatively, but personally. Earlier in 2024, they officially moved their studio to the north of their old studio, becoming RAD artspace. For them, this wasn’t just a change of address—it was a new chapter.
The idea of being a “friendly neighbor” became something literal and symbolic. It was a hope, a wish, and maybe even a little prayer: to be a good presence in the space, to contribute, to connect. It’s a soft intention that has quietly guided their choices—whether it’s continuing to work together on commissioned pieces, starting a risograph workshop, or opening up the studio to other creatives for collaborative projects.
Even though Agugn and Sekarputi are still doing plenty of personal projects on their own, they continue to orbit in the same creative space, sharing tools, ideas, and a general love for making things—especially with friends. Through RPFF, they’ve turned what was once just a private studio into a kind of creative hub: playful, welcoming, and always open to collaboration.
What’s Next for Friendly Neighbor?
If Friendly Neighbor began as a hopeful experiment—a kind of artistic open house hosted by RPFF—then what’s coming next is the real housewarming party.
From 20 March to 10 May 2025, Friendly Neighbor took over the gallery walls at Ruang Arta Derau (RAD) with a dedicated Risograph Art Print Showcase by RPFF. This extended exhibition will feature all the artworks produced by the original 24 artists + 2 artists who joined plus hosted + 1 artist (yes, we’re counting Ipong Purnama Sidhi as the honorary 27th).
The show is more than just a representation of what debuted at Art Jakarta 2024. It's a chance for the prints—and the stories behind them—to be seen in a more intimate and thoughtful context. Visitors will get to experience the full spectrum of collaborations, see how different artists approached the Riso medium, and maybe even get a peek into the messiness, joy, and process behind the scenes.
This showcase also gives RAD the chance to physically root the Friendly Neighbor spirit in its own space. After all, the whole idea behind the project was about being good neighbors—to other artists, to the community, and to the creative possibilities that open up when people come together. It’s like saying, “Come in, neighbor. Let’s make something together.”
And ironically, even as the project Friendly Neighbor signals a new chapter for Riso Print For Friends, the spirit of the project is still very much tied to its original acronym—Rice Paddy Field Forever that was inspired by the song Strawberry Fields Forever. Just like the lyrics go, “nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about,” his project embraces the same open-minded, let-it-flow vibes. In fact, the name RPFF itself is dynamic—open to reinterpretation, transformation, or playful shifts—just like the ever-evolving nature of the project and the Riso medium. It reflects the freedom to play, to explore unpredictability, and to not cling too tightly to rigid outcomes—embracing the process rather than perfection. Because really, whether it's Riso Print For Friends or Rice Paddy Field Forever, RPFF’s true spirit is more like Really Playful, Forever Fluid.