((Oct/9/25) For people living in New York City, Modomatic isn’t a new name. You’ve probably seen his work somewhere, maybe splashed across a street corner mural or brightening up a subway tunnel or in commercial areas with bursts of color and wild imagination. His expressive curves, fearless bright color choices, and unique sense of absurdity have made him one of the city’s standout contemporary artists.

Modomatic or Muhammad Riza as he’s known off the canvas originally comes from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, a special province that has a strong traditional Javanese art like batik, wayang puppetry, and classical dance. Now based in New York, he combines and blends that deep-rooted Javanese soul with the NY city’s fast-paced, contemporary pop-inspired art scene. The mix? Pure magic. 

His latest solo show, Modomatic  “Friends I Don’t Have,” opened earlier this October at a Studio 6 Gallery on the East Side, and it’s been catching the eyes (and hearts) of New York’s art collectors from Bronx to Brooklyn, from Manhattan to Queens..  

We caught up with Mo at Studio 6 NYC, to talk about the stories, colors, and emotions behind his latest works. Here’s how that conversation went. 

Q: Hi Mo! The title of your exhibition, "Friends I Don't Have," is so interesting. Why did you choose that name? What message are you trying to share through it? 
A: The series began five years ago as portraits of public figures I rejected. Dictators and leaders responsible for mass atrocities. I collaged their features into abstract faces, creating "friends" I never wanted. But over time, the concept evolved into something more intimate and universal. Now it's about longing. For connection, for transparency, for the courage to bridge invisible boundaries. These are the strangers whose faces I glimpsed once and never forgot, the artists I admire but haven't introduced myself to, the people who orbit my life without real connection. They're friends I wished I had, friends I almost had, and the beautiful strangeness of everyone we'll never truly know. 

Q: Your paintings focus a lot on human faces, close-up or mid close-up portraits. What inspired you to explore that direction? 
A: It comes directly from my street art practice. Our brains are wired to recognize faces instantly. It's a survival instinct. On the street, you have seconds to stop someone mid-stride, so faces became my vocabulary for that urgency. But faces also carry incredible narrative potential. Through a single portrait, you can explore identity, masks, memory, and that invisible interior 
world we all carry. This series is my attempt to visualize what we can't usually see. The dreams, desires, and fears exploding in vivid color from inside everyone we pass. 

Q: How many paintings are on display at this show? And which medium did you use to paint (oil, acrylic, watercolor, digital?) Also, how long did it take you to complete the whole collection? 
A: The exhibition features 28 paintings, all acrylics on either canvas or newspaper. These pieces represent an aggregation, almost a summary, of the artistic vocabulary I've developed over years of street work. They bring together elements from my previous series. Abstract forms from Cloud Factory, bird imagery from Birds of Paradise, and recurring motifs of hair and masks, 
all centered around these intimate portraits. 

Q: I noticed that your paintings are presented in small, square frames. What's the story behind that choice? 
A: It's purely practical. I want my work to fit into New York City apartments. We all live in small spaces here, and collectors already have walls filled with art. By keeping my paintings modest in scale, the largest is 21 by 24 inches, they can be squeezed in among existing collections. It's about accessibility and making room for my work in people's actual lives, not just imagining it in some vast white-cube gallery. 

Q: You've got quite a unique artistic background, having lived between New York (US) and Yogyakarta (Indonesia). Do these two cities influence your compositions, designs, or even the mood of your paintings? 
A: When I arrived in New York, I realized this is one of the richest places in terms of cultural resources. My art now feels like a melting pot of all those influences. The bold neon colors, thick black lines, and high contrast come from the urgency of New York street art. Competing for attention against brick, concrete, and steel. But my Indonesian heritage surfaces subconsciously through symbolic patterns, organic motifs, and ritual use of color. I draw inspiration from the vibrant palette of Wayang paintings and the powerful work of Yogyakarta street artists. My mother's practice of preparing elaborate hair for ceremonies inspired how I use hair as a visual expression in many portraits. It all blends. New York taught me immediacy, Indonesia gave me the deeper symbolic language. 

Q: Some of your works feature people smoking. Is there a certain meaning or philosophy behind that? 
A: Smoking creates this fascinating cultural divide. In America, it's pushed to the margins. You're exiled far from doorways, made invisible. But travel anywhere else in the world, especially Indonesia, and smoking is woven into the social fabric. What interests me is that moment of solitude it creates. When someone smokes, they're briefly with themselves—daydreaming, thinking, looking into the distance. There's a particular contemplative expression that emerges. It became another way to explore these imagined friends, adding dimension to their interior worlds. I even created a subseries called "Haircut 100," giving each smoking figure a distinct hairstyle as another form of identity and expression. 

Q: One of my favorite things about your pieces is that you paint on Chinese-language newspapers. I could feel the texture and vibe of Chinese words in your work. How did that idea come about? What inspires you? 
A: I struggle with blank canvases. I need something already there to respond to. Newspaper became my foundation for both practical and aesthetic reasons. It's the best material for wheat-pasting on the street: thin, absorbent, it melts into wall contours almost instantly. But there's also this beautiful evolution that happens over time. As the newspaper tans and darkens 
from its acidic content, my bright colors actually become more pronounced. The work gets brighter as the substrate ages. Chinese newspapers specifically fascinate me because I can't read them. The script forms these consistent, repetitive patterns that function almost like texture. Supporting the composition without competing for narrative attention. It's similar to how I 
developed my personal library of symbols and alphabets: collecting scripts like Hindi, Arabic, Kanji, Hanggul, Japanese Hiragana and Katakana until they become muscle memory, pure visual rhythm rather than literal meaning. 

Q: The exhibition venue, Studio 6, has such a cool place and location. Why did you choose this space for your solo show? 
A: Studio 6 NYC Gallery is dedicated to street art-based fine artists. Bridging that gap between the street and the gallery. It's located on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side, the epicenter of New York's street art culture. Founded by SacSix, a prominent street artist who previously ran Sidewalk Gallery, where street artists congregated, it represents the evolution of the scene. I'm honored that my show is only the third exhibition since they opened. It feels like being part of something beginning, just as this series represents a culmination of everything I've learned on the streets. The location matters. You're surrounded by street art everywhere. It's bringing my work home. 

Q: So what's next for you after this exhibition? Any upcoming projects or new directions you're excited about? 
A: I'm preparing for a few more shows, mainly group exhibitions. And I'm venturing into the possibility of another solo show at a different gallery. This exhibition at Studio 6 feels like both a summary of where I've been and a foundation for what comes next. I'm curious to see how this body of work evolves and what new directions emerge from the process itself. 

Q: Lastly, do you have any tips or advice for Gen Z artists who dream of having their own exhibition in New York someday? 
A: Find a community. That's the most important thing. A community where you can learn from others, where you can share your work and get honest feedback. Start with group shows. Support other artists whenever possible. The easiest way forward is to make your art visible, to get it seen by as many people as possible, and I don’t mean just online. If you're in a city with areas where you can display your art legally, use them. In New York, we have dedicated spaces like Cortland Alley and Freeman's Alley here on Rivington Street, where you can share your work without problems. These spaces are where connections happen, where you learn the culture, where you become part of the conversation. The work you make matters, but so does showing up and being present in the community. That's how opportunities emerge.

That's the end conversation. If you don’t get a chance to visit the exhibition, no worries! You can still catch Modomatic’s 
works on Instagram @modomatic go check them out! 

Written and  Photo by: Naratama