AUSTYN TAYLOR (b.1984, Rochester, NY, USA - Ceramics MFA Alfred University 2016). Taylor has maintained a 8 year nomadic studio practice working around the world as a visiting resident artist. Her works have traveled across the globe as well finding collections in Lebanon, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany, Spain, France, Taiwan, Netherlands, Thailand, Belgium, United States, Denmark, Indonesia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. She is currently based deep in the coastal redwoods of Mendocino, CA, USA.
Around the Globe
mixed media on canvas
78 x 80 cm
2022
CYRIL KONGO (b. 1969, Toulouse, France). He started doing graffiti as an urban street artist in 1986. In the early years of his practice, he was a solely street artist; he produced large frescoes, whether on walls or other urban constructs, throughout the world. These artworks, which unfortunately can now only be found in photos and film, gained him recognition on the international stage. His twenty years of experience in the French Graffiti scene as a member of the MAC CREW collective allowed him to hone his mastery in this discipline and earned him the title as one of the early representatives of the world’s Graffiti scene; introducing graffiti as a genre.
Kongo’s works gained international recognition from the many national and international festivals he participated in. He held numerous solo exhibitions, and his art was also featured in several gallery exhibitions. Most of his works are now part of exclusive private collections. Cyril Kongo has worked with D Gallerie since 2013, where he held his Solo exhibition A stroll in Paris with Kongo. In 2019, Kongo launched his solo show Les Ephémères de Cyril Kongo (Kongo’s Studio) in Jakarta with D Gallerie. Being recognized as a world-acclaimed artist, prestige brands began to commission Kongo for the creation of luxury goods. Some of his notable collaborations include a silk scarf (a carré) with Hermès in 2011, the RM 68-01 TOURBILLON CYRIL KONGO watch with Richard Mille, and a pâte de Verre spray-paint can with crystal manufacturer Daum in 2016. In 2018, Kongo had a collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld for the 2018 Chanel Métier d’Art collection shown in New York.
ETHICAL ALLEGORY
"Politik Etis" is an Indonesian term that translates to "Ethical Politics" in English. It signifies a political strategy or ideology that prioritizes ethical considerations, moral ideals, and principles in governance and decisionmaking processes. This concept emerged during the Dutch colonial administration in the early twentieth century as a program of ethical governance aiming at fostering social welfare, education, and economic development in the Dutch East Indies.
Under the premise of "politik etis," the Dutch government claimed to prioritize the population's welfare and well-being while also pursuing its own colonial objectives. However, opposing forces claim that the implementation of "politik etis" was frequently uneven and fell short of its professed goals, with numerous measures actually reinforcing colonial dominance and exploitation.
The passion emerged as part of Maharani grandfathers' experience with formal education and gathering a large number of intellects to construct a guerrilla public school during that time. However, due to strong pressure from the Dutch front, the school had to close. Based on this trigger, Maharani attempts to criticize the regulation's impact on these days, as well as how it pertains to Indonesia in the areas of irrigation, education, and migration.
Maharani uses this puppet technique (wayang klithik) to communicate a piece of Indonesian history while inviting the audience to participate in the performance.
BUKU BIRU (SERIES)
Maharani’s Grandfather’s diary has long been a source of inspiration and information for her works. In the Buku Biru series, Maharani transcribed the diary into pieces of folded and burnt wood planks, representing her desire to unfold her family’s history.
This particular work was based on diary entries during her grandfather’s detainment at Pulau Buru for twelve years. In this entry, he requested concoction to combat malaria to a fellow detainee, which offers a glimpse to the hardship in the island. This series not only unveiled her family’s history but also provides a more personal perspective of the Indonesian political situation after 1965.
MAHARANI MANCANAGARA (b. 1990, Padang – Indonesia), or known as Rani, is an Indonesian artist whose works explore and reinterpret Indonesia’s complex and sometimes sensitive issues of modern socio- political and cultural history through fictional storytelling. She studied printmaking at Institut Teknologi Bandung where she began to utilize drawing, print, and the installation often time on wooden surfaces. Rani’s interest towards history began when she discovered her grandfather’s diary, which led her into a journey of intertwining a plethora of personal histories that reflect larger socio-political dynamics of 20th century Indonesia. In her research, she often encountered intriguing personal narratives, often imbued of the source’s own subjectivity, which offers an alternative view towards documented history as well as revealing its complex layers. In 2018, Rani held her solo exhibition titled “Zero Sum Game” at Galeri Soemardja, Bandung. The exhibition presents works centered around the Hikayat Wanatentrem series, a fictional fable that offers the audience alternative history based on the stories of political prisoners at Pulau Buru after 1965. Through these fictional fairytales, Rani subtly addresses a sensitive political issue that has been polarizing the nation for decades and invites us to question the widely accepted historical narratives, which are often written by those in power and left the minorities estranged. Rani challenges the historical narratives by reconstructing them in her rendition through metaphors and allegories.
25 x 35 cm
67
60 x 50 cm
NUNUNG W.S. (ID, B. 1948) is an abstract artist with a career spanning over half a century. Despite receiving family pressure to study religion, her passion for the arts appeared at an early stage. In particular, she was inspired by Kartika Affandi, the artist daughter of Kusuma Affandi, who served as a role model that women too could succeed in art. Under the guidance of Nashar, Nunung transitioned from the dynamic expressionism of Kartika and her father to more reflective studies, juxtaposing planes of color that are both meditative and jewel-like. She is a masterful and subtle colorist, using luminous hues to create artwork that stimulates and mirrors the subconscious’s dreams and emotions. Their beauty and power quickly earned her acclaim, as well as national and international group and solo exhibitions.
Nunung has been active in the Indonesian art scene and has held exhibitions since the 1970s, in Indonesia and overseas. She chose to pursue abstraction because she wants to invite her observers to not only enjoy her work visually but also to understand what goes on during the process of creating her masterpieces.
I PUTU WINATA was born in Denpasar, Bali, February 27, 1977. His interest in the world of art, since his youth, was honed even sharper at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Metal Crafts Department, at the Indonesian Art Institute, Jogjakarta from 1995 to 1999. At the same time, his interests and talents in the field of painting was also forged, along with his friends in the Sanggar Dewata group. Apart from being actively involved as an administrator at Sanggar Dewata Jogja in 1997, and as the main treasurer at Sanggar Dewata Bali in 2008, Putu ‘PW’ Winata has also always been active in creating and exhibiting since 1996 until now. Some of his latest exhibitions are group exhibitions at the Art Moments Jakarta 2, 2022, “Online Raw Art” and “World Without End” exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then the solo exhibition “Garden of Intuition” at the Zen1 Kesiman Gallery, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. PW was also included in the top 10 nominations for the 2022 UOB Art of The Year Awards.
His admiration for the beauty and majesty of nature is expressed in many of his works. Meanwhile, his perseverance when practicing, experimenting, and exploring in the process of self-discovery has made his work not only more interestingly enjoyable, but also more authentic.
Time Well Spent
10 pcs slab stoneware clay, underglaze, gloss glaze, wire approx. 60 × 60cm 2023
9 pcs slab, stoneware, glaze, engobe, faux kintsugi technique with epoxy resin, wire
approx. 60 × 60 cm 2023
Unspoken Wellness (on Tuesday)
12 pc - slab, stoneware, glaze, engobe, wire
approx. 60 x 60
2023
THE VULNERABLES
This series of works explores the significance of self-awareness and closeness, suggesting that they are fundamental forms of understanding. It portrays the journey towards self-knowledge as a challenging yet transformative process, akin to the malleable yet fragile nature of ceramics. While individuals often attempt to draw nearer to themselves, they may struggle due to reluctance to accept their true self. This hesitation can lead to the adoption of external attributes as one's identity, hindering personal growth and empowerment. I believe that self-discovery not only enriches individual lives but also positively influences the surrounding environment. Each piece in the series represents a unique journey of self-acceptance, highlighting imperfections as opportunities for growth, much like cracks in ceramics repaired using the kintsugi technique. This technique symbolizes embracing past experiences, transforming them into valuable lessons that shape the future.
SEKARPUTI
SIDHIAWATI is a visual artist who raises stories about the empowerment of women in domestic and intersection culture to give them and herself the drive to continue working. She is mainly working with ceramic, the material that highly represents house and women in general. She was born in Jakarta 1986. Taking formal education at the Faculty of Art and Design ITB-Ceramic Art studio. She is now known as the founder of the studio Arta Derau, while consistently working in the art world. After working in Bandung, in 2018 she moved to Bali to expand her ceramic studio business. With woman related issues, Puti had been a finalist of several fine art awards such as the Soemardja Art Award (2010) and the Bandung Contemporary Art Award 2013. She had join several prestigious exhibition include Jakarta Contemporary Ceramic Biennale, National Gallery of Indonesia (2014); Temperature Affect, Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics Jakarta (2017); Manifesto, National Gallery of Indonesia (2017); Termasuk, Darren Knight Gallery Australia (2018); Southern Constellations: The Poetics of the Non-Aligned, Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, LjublanaSlovenia (2019).