Eko Nugroho

Eko Nugroho

Born 1977 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Eko Nugroho is one of the most acclaimed members of the young generation of Indonesian contemporary artists. He is part of the generation that came to maturity during the period of upheaval and reform that occurred in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the subsequent fall of the Suharto regime and the transition to democracy in Indonesia. He is deeply engaged with the culture of his time and is committed to making socio-political commentary in his work.
Nugroho grew up in Java and resides in one of the island’s major art centres, Yogyakarta. His works are grounded in both local traditions and global popular culture. In particular, he has cited the influence of traditional batik and embroidery styles. There is of course also a powerful inspiration from contemporary street art, graffiti and comics. In 2000, Nugroho founded Daging Tumbuh, a collaborative zine that invites participation from non-artists. In addition to drawings and painting, he works in a variety of other media, including murals, sculpture, animation, and tapestry.

“The central topic of my work since 2008 has been modern life in urban areas – My work is very much informed by my background in street art and I have always worked a lot in public space and with the local community. Many of the figures in my work, for instance, are masked in some way. In Java, the mask is a very symbolic part of traditional culture, and the tradition of shadow theatre has been an important influence for me. By changing the heads of the figures I convey my interpretation; this is the picture I end up with.”      Eko Nugroho

CV
Eko Nugroho participated at the 55th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2013 and at the Lyon Biennal, Lyon, France in 2009. He held solo exhibitions at the Singapore Tyler Print Institure, Singapore (2013), at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (2012), at the Peking Fine Art, Beijing, China (2009), at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland (2008) and at Artoteek, The Hague, The Netherlands (2005).

Group exhibitions include: “Encounters”, Art Basel Hong Kong, curated by Alexie Glass, Hong Kong (2015), “Move on Asia” at the ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany (2013), “RALLY: Contemporary Indonesian Art” at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2012/2013), “Fantasy Islands” at Espace Louis Vuitton Singapore (2012) and “Something From Nothing” at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans (CACNO), New Orleans, USA (2008).

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, Musée des Beaux-arts de Lyon, Artnow, International A3 Collection, San Fransisco, USA, Arario Collection, Cheonan, Korea, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Australia, Asia Society Museum, New York, USA.

EXHIBTIONS:
EKO NUGROHO: THREAT AS A FLAVOUR
۲۸ April to 2 June 2012
Solo exhibition at ARNDT Berlin

ASIA: LOOKING SOUTH
۱۰ September – 27 October 2011
Group exhibition at ARNDT Berlin

 

 

 

Eko Nugroho, Anarki Moral, 2014, Embroidery , 290 × ۱۵۴ cm, NUGR0197 Apr 17, 2012

 

Current exhibition: Eko Nugroho “THREAT AS A FLAVOUR” at ARNDT Berlin

 
Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view
Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho – Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view
 
Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view Eko Nugroho , Eko Nugroho - Threat as a Flavour, 2012 at ARNDT Berlin, installation view  EKO NUGROHO
THREAT AS A FLAVOUR

Please click here to view the online catalogue accompanying the exhibition

RUNNING TIME: 28 April to 31 May ۲۰۱۲

The Exhibition of Eko Nugroho takes place in our additional galleryspace on Tagesspiegel Areal, Entrance Potsdamer Strasse 87. On the Occasion of the Berlin Gallery Weekend you can also visit our exhibition of Gilbert & Georges “London Pictures” in the gallery on Potsdamer Strasse 96

ARNDT Berlin is proud to present the first solo exhibition of the Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho (born 1977 in Yogyakarta; lives and works in Yogyakarta) in Germany.
Eko Nugroho’s work represents the daily life of Indonesian society, which is on one hand strongly hierarchical and Muslim-influenced and on the other hand influenced by globalization and the western value system. In his paintings this contrast is visualized by showing fantasy beings comprised of human limbs and machine elements with faces mostly hidden behind masks or helmets. By juxtaposing these images with humorous but also critical texts and sayings, Nugroho tries to entice especially the young Indonesian generation to deal with political issues. He develops his skills in as many mediums as he can, from painting to drawing and video to more traditional hand craft techniques such as hook rugging. He captures the noise and the frenzy of the street, the eye-contact, identity, attitudes. He translates this flow in his drawings and patterns which invade the space. All the means of creation are used to translate these meetings between Indonesia and the West, street culture and the art world, political stakes and intimate reflections. Although he was trained at the Indonesian Art Institute and presented in galleries and museums, Nugroho’s work is deeply anchored in the urban environment. For ten years he has edited the comic book review Daging Tumbuh open to artists of all persuasions, he directs a clothes business which he customises and has made from the cast-offs of his area, in an Indonesia struggling to find economic stability. Eko works in situ, collaborating with local communities, occupying all the surfaces which he is given, from the façade of the Sucrière during the Biennale de Lyon in 2009, to the Espace Louis Vuitton 2011.
In his exhibition at ARNDT, the artist takes possession of the space by covering the floor, walls and ceiling with mural paintings. He presents canvases with hybrid characters somewhere between monsters and teenagers, bringing an unsettling and ironic point of view. as well as imposing embroideries, a traditional technique hijacked by the artist, sculptures and characters seemingly from science-fiction and an animated film which is both playful and unsettling.

The artist will be present during the opening of the exhibition.
Interviews with Eko Nugroho are possible – please contact Lisa Polten (lisa@arndtberlin.com).

CV
Beside numerous solo exhibitions in Southeast Asia, he has been invited to several artist in residency programmes such as his most recent one at SAM Art Projects in Paris which was combined with a solo exhibition in the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2012); at the Lyon Biennal (2009), the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland (2008) or the ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe (2011).
He staged several solo exhibitions such as Fantasy Islands at Espace Louis Vuitton Singapore (2012), Under the Shadow, Peking Fine Art, Beijing (2009) and Eko Nugroho, Artoteek, Den Haag (2005).
He has also taken part in numerous national and international group exhibitions including the “ASIA PASIFIC TRIENNALE 5” Queensland Art Gallery, Australia (2004); Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans (2004); “WIND FROM THE EAST”, KIASMA Museum of Contemporary, Helsinski, Finland (2007); “EXPENDITURE” Busan Biennale 2008, Busan, South Korea (2008); “CONTEMPORANEITY”, MOCA Shanghai, China (2010).

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