Ole-ole

The world of sports fascinate Masriadi; evident in the discernibly significant number of works that depict figures as sportsmen and sportswomen. The world of sports provides a climate where image, display and (re)presentational acts are heightened in significance. In competitive contests, the notions of play and game are taken seriously, distilled to heightened, purified realms. In these states, one is reminded of the interconnectedness of play, ritual and drama. Competing players no longer hold on to their individual identities but become players in communal rituals, reaffirming common values of humanity such as competition, human endeavour and endurance.

(Seng Yu Jin and Wang Zineng, Masriadi: Black Is My Last Weapon, exhibition catalogue, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2008, p. 86)