A.S.A.P

A.S.A.P

New Artists from Indonesia

Artists:

Antonio S. Sinaga, Eldwin Pradipta, Erianto, Maharani Mancanagara, Nurrahmat Widyasena (Ito), Patriot Mukmin, Tara Astari Kasenda

This exhibition of young/new artists from Indonesia is titled A.S.A.P, a common abbreviation for ‘as soon as possible’, describing a sense of urgency. It hopes to demonstrate the rapid growth of artists in Indonesia, and how the growth of art infrastructure lags badly behind it. The title can also take another meaning: in Indonesia asap means smoke. Forest fires occur annually across Indonesia’s many islands; its smoke travels for many miles crossing country borders, and sending smog that can trigger a number of respiratory illnesses. A.S.A.P features seven young artists from Indonesia, representing the most current developments of Indonesian contemporary art practice, post-art market boom. Created using a variety of media, their works explore diverse subject matters, from the country’s problematic history, cultural identity, popular culture and social media, to issues within the practice of art itself.

About the Artists

Antonio S . Sinaga (b. Surabaya 1988). His drawings and prints tend to draw out the essence of various religious events, juxtaposed with popular global mass media products such as political quotes etc. He creates icons, unique symbols that borrow animal forms, and arranges texts as though in protest. In 2012, this Ceramics Art graduate from Bandung Institute of Technology’s Art Department received top honors at Soemardja Award 2012, held by Soemardja Gallery in Bandung. In 2015, he received top honors from Indonesia Art Award Gudang Garam. He has shown his works at various exhibitions in Indonesia, including his solo exhibition Bandung Contemporary Solo Project: In Absentia at Roemah Seni Sarasvati, Bandung. Other exhibitions include Jakarta Contemporary Ceramics Biennale: Crafting Identity, jointly hosted by North Art Space and Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics, Jakarta; Subject Matter: A Locus of Collectivism, Art:1, Jakarta, curated by Asmudjo J. Irianto; The Show Mask Go On, at Exhibition Hall Balepare, Kota Baru Parahyangan, Padalarang, Indonesia, curated by Rudi St. Darma; and in 2015, Art Moments: Jogja 15 “ROOMS WITH A VIEW”‘ at Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Eldwin Pradipta (b. Jakarta, 1990) graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Intermedia studio, Bandung Institute of Technology. He currently lives and works in Bandung. Since his earliest involvement in art, he has keenly explored new possibilities in new media art, which is based on his familiarity with this technology and unconventional media. He is intrigued by new media art that, when it first emerged, was mostly used in the realm of popular art or ‘low art’. Through his awareness of this medium, he creates works that play within the boundaries of high and low art. His artistic development also shows how he raises the problem of cultural commodification and the impact of the global tourism industry. The commodification of culture emerged as a way to fulfil the demands of tourism, and it is often done without a care for local communities and their concerns. Cultural elements have been robbed, distorted, and reproduced for tourists. Eldwin’s works engage cultural histories and tourist-friendly versions of traditional artifacts commonly found in tourism-promoting websites. In 2015, Eldwin participated in various exhibitions including: Bandung Contemporary Art Awards 2015, Lawangwangi Art Space, Bandung; Indonesia Art Awards 2015, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta; New Future, Art:1, Jakarta; Art|Jog|8 Infinity in Flux, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta; Makan Angin #3 Presentation, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta; and No Worries: Halal Indonesian Art, Galerie Vanessa Quang, Paris, France. In 2014, he participated in Bandung International Digital Art Festival 2014, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung; Put Up a Signal, Ruang MES 56, Yogyakarta; Bandung New Emergence Vol. 5, Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung; Coefficient of Expansion, the Third Jakarta Contemporary Ceramics Biennale, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Erianto (b, Padalangan Agam , West Sumatera 1983). His painting skills have allowed him to create a sense of tension and anxiety between the real and illusive. He creates paintings of objects, such as crates often used to transport paintings, or the surfaces of materials such as wood, plastic, etc; he plays with one’s perception of objects or values that seem common within the everyday visual culture. Erianto now lives and works in Yogyakarta. He has received 11 awards to date, including being selected as one of the Best Artworks at UNP Padang, Indonesia, and one of the Best Three Artworks at BaCAA (Bandung Contemporary Art Awards), at Lawangwangi Art & Science Estate, Bandung, Indonesia. From July to October 2011, the artist participated in the Kultur Model Residency Program, Passau City, Germany. Thus far, he has exhibited his works in no less than 45 exhibitions in Indonesia and abroad. His solo exhibitions include PLAY OF PERCEPTION, Element Art Space, Singapore; Resistance, Project Stage by D Galerie, Singapore Art Stage; as well as other exhibitions in Yogyakarta and Semarang. Throughout 2012, Erianto participated in a number of group exhibitions in the USA, Germany, and Hong Kong. He was a participant at ASYAAF, Culture Station Seoul 284, Seoul, South Korea. In 2015, he participated in the group exhibition HERE-THERE-EVERYWHERE at Galeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia.

Maharani Mancanagara (b. Jakarta 1991) lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia. She graduated from the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology, majoring in Graphic Art. She creates works using various graphic media, mixed media, and drawing. Her works tend to explore Indonesia’s history, both its past and present, based on her own private experience and that of her family. She actively participates in group exhibitions, including at Langgeng Galeri in Magelang, as well as Roh Project and Art Bazaar Jakarta (2015). Maharani’s works often incorporate historical and archival elements—both public and private archives—connected to the history of modern education in Indonesia. Most recently, in 2015, she exhibited at Art Moments: Jogja 15 “ROOMS WITH A VIEW”‘ at Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; as well as at Langgeng Art Foundation, Jogjakarta, Bipolarity to Multipolarity-Contemporary Art from Bandung in November 2015.

Nurrachmat Widyasena (Ito), (b. Waterloo , Canada 1990) is an Indonesian artist who lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia. He majored in printmaking at the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology. His works explore notions around retro-futurism, where he tries to stand on the crossroads of reality and fantasy. In his works, Nurrachmat tries to recall the “old but forgotten Space Age ideas”, represented in artworks that he has created using printmaking, installation, and drawing techniques. He uses metal screen printing, acid metal, drawing, and metal sheet installations. Such is his attempt to create a sense of the unrealized or forgotten ideas that are old, retro-futuristic, or even archaic. Positioning himself as part of mankind that still celebrates the spirit of the Space Age, Nurrachmat tries to pull things back to the present, as well as exploring the promises of the modernism once celebrated in the Space Age era. Some of his most recent exhibitions include Void, Langgeng Art Gallery, Magelang (2014); Art Moments: Jogja 15 “ROOMS WITH A VIEW”, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta; as well as Bipolarity to Multipolarity-Contemporary Art From Bandung, Langgeng Art Foundation, Yogyakarta (November 2015).

Patriot Mukmin (b. Tangerang 1987), has been creating artworks since 2009. His works tend to revolve around historical subjects that are ambiguous and problematic. He ‘weaves’ his painting using a network of photographic images. He has taken part in a number of art exhibitions in various cities such as Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Surabaya, Singapore, and Seoul – South Korea. He received the prestigious Bazaar Art Award in 2011, and he was one of the finalists in both Bandung Contemporary Art Award 2012 and Indonesia Art Award 2010. He was one of the artists commissioned to create artworks for Balai Kirti, Presidential Museum at Bogor Presidential Palace complex, which was launched in October 2014. In May 2015, he presented his solo exhibition, KUP: Titik Silang Kuasa 66-98, at Lawangwangi Creative Space, Bandung.

Tara Astari Kasenda (B. Jakarta, 1991) is an Indonesian artist who currently lives and works in Bandung. She graduated from the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology, majoring in Painting. Her works are always based on her own experiences, depicting the condition of the era as well as contextual socio-cultural situations experienced by her generation as they navigate Indonesian urban society. The bright ‘creamy’ colors and blurry portraits in her works—mostly paintings and installations of various media—represent the ambiguity and paradox of the way her mind perceives contemporary culture. She has shown her works in Jakarta, Bandung, and other cities. In 2015, she was involved in various group shows such as VOID, Langgeng Gallery, Magelang; and HERE-THERE-EVERYWHERE, Galeri Semarang, Semarang. In 2014, she presented her solo show SOMATIC MARKERS at LAF, Yogyakarta. Her solo project, Wheedled Beings, shown at Art Taipei 2015, represents her latest media exploration, where she transferred images onto silicon glue surfaces.

By Rifky Effendy

• Antonio S. Sinaga
• Eldwin Pradipta
• Erianto
• Maharani Mancanagara
• Nurrachmat Widyasena
• Patriot Mukmin
• Tara Astari Kasenda