Agung Budi Santoso a.k.a Gunkbudi grew up in Pelaihari, a small coastal town in South Kalimantan. In 2013, he moved to Yogyakarta to study design at ISI, graduating in 2019.
He started out designing illustrations for band merchandise in 2016. That work pulled him deep into the music scene. From 2017 to 2020, he became the in-house illustrator and graphic designer for the band Kelompok Penerbang Roket, including creating visuals for their mini album Galaksi Palapa. He also designed gig posters for international acts like Kikagaku Moyo, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Radio Moscow, and Wooden Shijps.
But by 2020, the routine of client work—combined with pandemic lockdowns—left him feeling restless. He needed something different. Like many people during that time, he turned to cycling.
By the end of 2020, after returning to live in Yogyakarta, his bike became his main form of transportation. Complicated travel restrictions for buses, trains, and flights pushed him to try something new: long-distance cycling.
That experiment became “Rando N Eureka” in November 2021, a ride from Yogyakarta to Jakarta with his friend Adhull. It was also his first connection with MCC.
A year later, he rode solo to Jakarta via the southern coast of Java. That journey would eventually lead to his collaboration with MCC
LIMITED VISIBILITY
“Limited Visibility” was born from that solo ride.
He chose a route he had never taken before. No previews. No simulations. No real expectations.
Everything was new—especially riding long distances at night. Darkness, empty roads, forest silence. Limited light. Limited knowledge. Limited certainty.
And yet, those limits changed him.
He realized that seeing isn’t only about what’s in front of your eyes. It’s also about what you feel—fatigue, isolation, doubt, even quiet moments of awe.
Those memories became the foundation of his artwork. Every emotion from the road was absorbed, processed, and transformed into illustration
Gunkbudi spent some time to have a conversation with us. And here’s the recap;
Agung Budi Santoso – that’s your real name, right?
Yep. That’s the real one.
So who exactly is Agung Budi Santoso, aka Gunkbudi?
I’m a visual artist and illustrator. For the past five years, I’ve been focused almost entirely on making work that revolves around bikes and cycling culture.
Your work is super colorful, but you often use certain shades — purple, pink, green, orange, blue, black. Do those colors mean something specific to you?
Not really in a symbolic way. I don’t attach special meanings to them.
Most of the colors come from what I see around me — plants, skies, flowers, everyday surroundings — then I mix and reinterpret them in my own way.
Who’s been your biggest influence?
For me, someone who’s complete in every aspect is Benyamin Sueb.
What’s your earliest memory of making art?
I was around seven or eight.
I redrew a sketch of myself crying while peeing standing up — a drawing that one of the older kids at the daycare where I used to stay had made of me when I was little.
I think that’s where my artistic instinct really started growing.
What kind of reaction or dialogue do you hope happens when you release a new piece?
Honestly? If someone collects it or uses it, that’s already more than enough. That’s the kind of satisfaction that matters most to me.
Ever hit a creative burnout?
Of course. I definitely felt it before I got deeply into cycling and started making work around it.
Do you still ride? Or have you been riding more this past year?
I still try to make time for it — even if it’s just a coffee ride.
Hoping to get back to riding more seriously this year (2026).
Prefer riding solo or with friends? why?
Solo. Because when you’re on the road, you actually get the time to understand yourself better. To deal with your physical limits, figure yourself out, and learn when you really need to be alone and when you need other people around you.
Does cycling play a role in your creative process?
Absolutely. Over the last five years, I’ve actually found my own method of creating through riding, especially when I’m out there alone.
Tell us about the beginning of your collaboration with MCC. Any regrets?
In short, the project was about capturing what I felt, based on what I saw and experienced during my first solo ride from Jogjakarta to Bogor to Jakarta, taking the southern coastal route across Java.
Regrets? Only if the method requires another super long-distance ride again hahaha.
How does it feel to see your artwork displayed on a non-art product?
It feels great! When someone decides to buy it, own it, and actually use it. That’s already a huge form of appreciation for me. Especially when I see someone wearing or using it in front of me, and they have no idea the artwork is mine. That’s a special feeling.
With the “Limited Visibility” artwork, what are you trying to communicate through these three product mediums?
A sense of limitation. Sensitivity to your surroundings. And honesty in expressing what you truly see and feel.
Any words of wisdom for emerging artists?
Ride your bike!
