Pendoa & Pendosa: King Acan Captures the World of Kustom Kulture
As I stepped into the exhibition space, I was greeted by chatter, the click of cameras, and the faint sound of “Take a Picture” from DJ Hazawude’s set. A group of people dressed in black was deep in conversation; maybe old friends, or new ones introduced by old ones. Each held a glass of beer inside the gallery. Illustrations themed around automotive culture filled the walls. These were bold black-and-white line drawings, displayed more like documentary material than decoration. But one thing instantly stole my attention: a custom motorcycle parked in the middle of the room, right in front of the DJ booth.
Pendoa & Pendosa is the title of a solo exhibition by King Acan, also known as Dan Rafsan Yuono, an illustrator and active figure in the Kustom Kulture scene. This isn’t just a collection of drawings about bikes, nor is it simply about nostalgia. It’s more like flipping through a visual diary printed in a 1950s illustration style, then thrown out into the public with a mix of humor, emotion, and a meticulous obsession with mechanical detail.
“The basic idea is a kind of daily journal, illustrated in the style of the 1950s and ’60s,” Acan said. “But the stories are all things I’ve personally experienced within my custom motorcycle community. I usually upload my drawings to Instagram and write the story as a caption. Some of them are later turned into comic series. So this exhibition is my way of showing the details that social media comics can’t fully capture.”
Acan grew up in an environment filled with the roar of engines. From vehicle dealerships along Pondok Indah to late-night street races in Kebon Nanas, his experiences shaped a kind of loyalty to automotive culture. But instead of becoming a mechanic or collector, he took another route–documenting it all through drawings. He studied at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, joined the Cut and Rescue collective, and became active in Swengskoy, a motorcycle group that rides on its terms. His time at Cut and Rescue, where art was approached through research-based methods, significantly shaped how he works within Kustom Kulture. Gathering data and background about the vehicles he draws has become part of his core process.
This lifestyle has become the raw material for all of his works. King Acan is one of the few local artists whose work has become widely recognized within both local and international Kustom Kulture circuits. The term “Kustom Kulture” refers to an umbrella of subcultures–cars, bikes, music, fashion, lifestyle, and art—that all intersect and evolve together. Many people may already be familiar with Acan’s illustrations, whether through event posters, t-shirt designs, exhibitions, or his comic series Pendoa & Pendosa, published under his imprint, Wahjoedi Motors.
Beyond illustration, the custom motorcycle on display at the center of the room isn’t just for show, it’s Acan’s bike, the one he rides, tours with, and, in a way, thinks with. Surrounding the bike are his design blueprints, oil-can-shaped coffee bottles, t-shirts made in collaboration with friends, and commissioned artwork created for motorcycle communities he’s been part of since 2009.
What makes Acan’s work resonate is his ability to tell stories through illustration, filtered through a local sensibility that makes his visuals feel personal and accessible. He captures simple, recognizable moments from the world of custom motorbikes: hanging out at street-side coffee stalls, cruising past Jakarta landmarks like the Tugu Pancoran, Metropole cinema, or the Bundaran HI, or watching races at the Cakung track. These familiar landscapes breathe life into his artwork. The exhibition, running from May 9 to 25, 2025, at Spaccce, Grand Wijaya Center, offers a glimpse into King Acan’s ongoing journey, with a hand that keeps drawing and an engine that never stops running.
