Peternak Citra (the male)

Peternak Citra (Image Breeder) presents a critical reflection on modern human identity through the use of discarded livestock feed sacks as its primary medium. Originating from an initial intention to create a self-portrait, the figure in this work transforms into the embodiment of Barong Bangkal/Bangkung—a wild boar mask rich in symbolic meaning. This figure no longer represents an individual, but rather a collective image of humans who continuously construct, polish, and enlarge their self-representations in pursuit of recognition within social spaces. The use of materials typically intended for animal consumption becomes a metaphor for the commodification of the soul and identity. This work invites viewers to contemplate the extent to which human existence today is produced and “fed” by image-based systems, while simultaneously questioning whether, behind all these constructions, there still remains an honest voice of the self that refuses to be confined.