Pameran Tunggal
SUSIAWAN
DI ANTARA AKAR DAN CAKRAWALA : 45 Tahun Seni, Budaya, Komunitas & Kemungkinan 23 September 18 Oktober 2026
E-Katalog
DI ANTARA AKAR DAN CAKRAWALA : 45 Tahun Seni, Budaya, Komunitas & Kemungkinan Selama lebih dari 45 tahun, perjalanan artistik Susiawan berkembang sebagai sebuah perjalanan di antara akar dan cakrawala—di antara tempat-tempat yang telah membentuk dirinya dan ruang-ruang baru yang terbuka. Melintasi Nusantara dan Kanada, karyanya senantiasa berakar pada tempat, budaya, ingatan, dan komunitas, sekaligus terus berkembang melalui pengalaman, bahan, hubungan, serta cara-cara baru dalam memandang dunia. Pameran ini menghadirkan karya-karya yang merentang selama empat setengah dekade, mencakup lukisan, seni grafis, akrilik, cat air, tinta, serta penggunaan kertas daur ulang. Keseluruhannya memperlihatkan bukan sebuah gaya yang tunggal dan tetap, melainkan sebuah proses pencarian yang terus berlangsung. Susiawan membiarkan bahan, lingkungan, dan perjumpaan dengan orang lain ikut membentuk praktiknya, menghasilkan karya-karya yang membawa kedekatan dengan pengalaman hidup sekaligus kehadiran ingatan budaya yang lebih dalam. Di pusat perjalanan ini terdapat hubungan yang kuat dengan akar. Nusantara—dengan lanskap, tradisi, komunitas, budaya visual, dan kehidupan sehari-harinya—tetap menjadi sumber inspirasi dan identitas yang penting. Namun bagi Susiawan, akar tidak berarti harus menetap di satu tempat. Akar justru menjadi dasar untuk bergerak, bertemu, belajar, dan berkembang. Kanada kemudian menjadi salah satu cakrawala baru: sebuah lanskap budaya yang berbeda, tempat persoalan tentang identitas, rasa memiliki, komunitas, dan pertukaran dapat dilihat dan dialami dari perspektif yang baru. Seni Susiawan tidak dapat dipisahkan dari komitmennya terhadap pendidikan dan komunitas. Bersamaan dengan praktiknya sebagai seniman visual, ia menjadi penggerak pendidikan alternatif dan mengembangkan berbagai program pembelajaran berbasis seni di berbagai wilayah Indonesia dan Kanada. Program-program tersebut lahir dari keyakinannya bahwa kreativitas bukan sekadar kegiatan artistik, melainkan kemampuan dasar manusia—sebuah cara untuk belajar, berkomunikasi, bertanya, dan membayangkan kemungkinan-kemungkinan baru. Bagi Susiawan, kebebasan dan tanggung jawab berjalan bersama. Kreativitas membutuhkan kebebasan untuk bereksperimen, melakukan kesalahan, mempertanyakan asumsi, dan menemukan suara diri sendiri. Namun kebebasan juga membawa tanggung jawab terhadap orang lain: untuk mendengarkan, berkolaborasi, menghargai perbedaan, dan berkontribusi kepada komunitas tempat kita menjadi bagian. Seni menjadi ruang bersama, tempat ekspresi individual dan pengalaman kolektif dapat bertemu. Filosofi ini juga tercermin dalam keberagaman bahan yang digunakannya. Cat, tinta, cat air, teknik cetak, dan kertas daur ulang masing-masing menawarkan kemungkinan yang berbeda dalam hal gestur, tekstur, lapisan, kebetulan, dan transformasi. Penggunaan kertas daur ulang memiliki makna khusus dalam keseluruhan praktiknya. Material yang telah memiliki kehidupan sebelumnya tidak dibuang, melainkan diberi kemungkinan baru. Fragmen menjadi permukaan; sesuatu yang tersisa menjadi awal dari ekspresi baru. Proses tersebut menjadi
metafora bagi pembaruan dan kemungkinan. Karena itu, karya-karya dalam pameran ini tidak semata-mata disajikan sebagai tonggak-tonggak perjalanan karier secara kronologis. Karya-karya tersebut merupakan jejak dari hubungan yang terus berkembang antara seniman dan tempat. Ia berbicara tentang perjalanan dan ingatan, tentang apa yang dibawa dari masa lalu dan apa yang ditemukan di sepanjang jalan. Selama empat setengah dekade, Susiawan terus mengeksplorasi bagaimana seni dapat menghubungkan kita—dengan akar kita, dengan lingkungan sekitar, dengan sesama, dan dengan kemungkinan-kemungkinan yang belum terwujud. Slideshow yang menyertai pameran ini memperluas perjalanan tersebut melampaui karyakarya yang hadir di ruang galeri. Bergerak melintasi waktu dan geografi, tayangan ini mempertemukan dokumentasi karya Susiawan dari berbagai periode dan tempat di Indonesia dan Kanada. Ia menghadirkan sekilas lingkungan, komunitas, serta berbagai periode dan tempat di Indonesia dan Kanada. Kini, ketika Susiawan menjalani kehidupan dengan Parkinson pada tahap lanjut, perjalanan tersebut terus berlanjut. ( Susan Allen )
Susiawan, lahir di Magelang tahun 1955, adalah seniman visual, perupa grafis, pendidik, dan inovator budaya Indonesia yang praktik artistiknya telah berlangsung selama lebih dari empat dekade. Berbekal pendidikan Seni Grafis dan Cetak di Fakultas Seni Rupa dan Desain, Institut Teknologi Bandung (FSRD -ITB) angkatan 1976, ia mengembangkan tubuh karya yang khas dengan menjembatani ekspresi visual kontemporer dan tradisi spiritual Jawa serta Bali. Sejak 2019, Susiawan memprakarsai konsep dan metodologi Soul Painting (Lukisan Sukma), sebuah pendekatan artistik yang mengeksplorasi kesadaran batin, ingatan leluhur, serta hubungan manusia dengan alam dan dunia spiritual. Melalui karya cat air, seni grafis, dan media campuran, ia menelusuri kosmologi pribumi serta sistem pengetahuan spiritual lokal, khususnya melalui proyek berkelanjutannya, Imaji Kanda Pat. Pameran tunggalnya meliputi Bridges of Light (Sudakara Gallery, Bali, 2024–2025), Soul to Soil (Svarga Loka Gallery, Bali, 2023), dan Lukisan Sukma (Soul Painting) (Tony Raka Gallery, Bali, 2022). Selain praktik seninya, Susiawan mendedikasikan sebagian besar perjalanan kariernya pada pendidikan seni dan pengembangan komunitas. Ia merupakan salah satu pendiri Sanggar Cahaya Nusantara—sebelumnya bernama Yellow Coco Creative Nest—di Ubud, Bali, serta memprakarsai berbagai inisiatif yang memanfaatkan seni rupa sebagai sarana pengembangan kreativitas, kesadaran lingkungan, pelestarian budaya, dan pembelajaran yang berpusat pada anak. Karyanya telah dipamerkan di Indonesia, Kanada, dan Eropa. Kontribusinya dalam pendidikan seni juga mendapat pengakuan melalui Ashoka Fellowship sebagai Innovator for the Public. Melalui visi artistiknya, Susiawan terus menumbuhkan dialog bermakna antara seni kontemporer, spiritualitas, keterlibatan komunitas, dan warisan budaya.
BETWEEN ROOTS AND HORIZONS 45 Years of Art, Space, Community & Possibility For 45 years, Susiawan’s artistic journey has unfolded between the Indonesian archipelago and Canada, shaped by experiences of space and place, memory, culture, spirituality, and community. In his fourth solo exhibition, BETWEEN ROOTS AND HORIZONS, Susiawan presents works that have never previously been exhibited, created over a period spanning 1979 to 2024. The exhibition encompasses a wide range of media, including etching, lithography, watercolor, acrylic, ink, handmade paper, and works from the Kanda Pat series. Together, these works reflect an intuitive and continually evolving creative process rooted in the land, culture, and communities where he has lived and worked. The journey extends beyond visual art. A slideshow presented as part of the exhibition traces Susiawan’s involvement in art and community-based education. It begins with his role in co-founding Yayasan Anak Merdeka in Bandung and creating Cakrawala Kecil, the first magazine in Indonesia made by and for children. In Cirebon, he developed art-based environmental education. In Toronto, through Me and My Shadows, he introduced shadow play and cross-cultural arts education. Since 2007, he has brought his evolving Holistic Arts approach to communities across Bali through Yellow Coco Creative Nest and Sanggar Cahaya Nusantara. In Susiawan’s practice, personal expression has always been intertwined with social awareness and engagement. His creative responses have also emerged in support of communities affected by major disasters, including the tsunami in Aceh and the earthquake in Lombok. At the heart of this exhibition lies a profound spiritual journey. The emergence of Kanda Pat marks an important phase in Susiawan’s exploration of the relationship between the self, nature, and the spiritual realm. These reflections deepened during the COVID period, when prayer, illness, limitation, and transformation became part of both his lived experience and creative process. Today, as Susiawan lives with advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease, the journey continues. Rather than coming to an end, his experiences of the body, memory, spirituality, and relationships with others open new spaces for reflection on existence and possibility. BETWEEN ROOTS AND HORIZONS is more than a celebration of 45 years of artistic practice. It is an exploration of a journey of learning, connecting, sharing, and giving—a journey that continues to move between a place to stand and a space of possibility. Roots provide a place to stand, to recognize, and to absorb the experience of life. The horizon invites us to look beyond what is known and to move toward new possibilities. Between the two, art becomes a journey that continues to unfold. (Susan Allen)
Susiawan, born in Magelang in 1955, is an Indonesian visual artist, printmaker, educator, and cultural innovator whose artistic practice has spanned more than four decades. With a background in Printmaking and Graphic Arts at the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology (FSRD–ITB), where he enrolled in 1976, he has developed a distinctive body of work that bridges contemporary visual expression with Javanese and Balinese spiritual traditions. Since 2019, Susiawan has pioneered the concept and methodology of Soul Painting (Lukisan Sukma), an artistic approach that explores inner consciousness, ancestral memory, and the relationship between humans, nature, and the spiritual world. Through watercolor, printmaking, and mixed media, he explores indigenous cosmologies and local spiritual knowledge systems, particularly through his ongoing project, Imaji Kanda Pat. His solo exhibitions include Bridges of Light (Sudakara Gallery, Bali, 2024– 2025), Soul to Soil (Svarga Loka Gallery, Bali, 2023), and Lukisan Sukma (Soul Painting) (Tony Raka Gallery, Bali, 2022). Alongside his artistic practice, Susiawan has devoted a significant part of his career to arts education and community development. He is one of the founders of Sanggar Cahaya Nusantara, formerly known as Yellow Coco Creative Nest, in Ubud, Bali. He has also initiated various programs that use visual art as a means of fostering creativity, environmental awareness, cultural preservation, and child-centered learning. His work has been exhibited in Indonesia, Canada, and Europe. His contributions to arts education have also been recognized through an Ashoka Fellowship as an Innovator for the Public. Through his artistic vision, Susiawan continues to foster meaningful dialogues between contemporary art, spirituality, community engagement, and cultural heritage.
SUSIAWAN Solo Exhibitions 2024–2025 Bridges of Light Sudakara Gallery, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia December 28, 2024 – February 2025 2023 Soul to Soil Svarga Loka Gallery, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia July 16 – August 15, 2023 2022 Lukisan Sukma (Soul Painting) Tony Raka Gallery, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia October 20 – November 20, 2022 Artistic Research and Development 2019–Present • Pioneer of the concept and methodology of Soul Painting (Lukisan Sukma). • Since 2020, has developed visual artworks based on the roots of local spiritual traditions, Javanese culture, and Balinese Hinduism through the artistic exploration project Imaji Kanda Pat, including watercolor paintings and lithographic prints. Group Exhibitions and Art Projects 2006 • Painting Auction, Gempa Yogya, Toronto, Canada. 2005 • Group Exhibition, Toronto Art Expo, Toronto, Canada. 2003 • Group Exhibition, Blast 2000, Harbourfront Centre Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada. 1998 • Designer of the Spadina Festival Logo, Toronto, Canada. 1995–2022 • Creator of the Contemporary Puppet Series for Children’s Education, producing more than 200 puppets and 20 original stories. 1985 • Participated in the Central Java Artists Exhibition, PKJT Surakarta, Indonesia. 1981 • Fine Arts Exhibition, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, Indonesia. 1980
• Graphic Arts Exhibition, Ljubljana, Europe. • Initiator of the Graphic Arts Studio Exhibition “Generasi Grafis 17”, Gelanggang Remaja Bandung, Indonesia. 1978 • Participated in the Central Java Artists Exhibition, PKJT Surakarta, Indonesia. Education 1986 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Arts/Printmaking Faculty of Art and Design (FSRD), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia Social Contributions and Community Education Through Visual Arts 2011–Present • Co-founder of Yellow Coco Creative Nest (now Sanggar Cahaya Nusantara), a community-based studio providing holistic arts education programs for creativity and well-being in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. 1995–2007 • Co-founder of Me and My Shadows, delivering arts-based educational programs across diverse communities and learning environments in Toronto, Canada. 1991–1995 • Creator and Program Director of PKSLH (Encouraging Student Creativity for Environmental Love), an environmental education initiative under the Cirebon Urban Development Project (CUDP). The program used visual arts as a medium for environmental awareness and children’s education in elementary schools throughout Cirebon, Indonesia. 1989 • Founder and pioneer of the children’s magazine Cakrawala Kecil, distributed nationally in Indonesia and archived in libraries including Cornell University (USA) and institutions in Australia. 1988 • Selected as an Ashoka Fellow Indonesia – Innovator for the Public for pioneering educational work with underserved children through visual arts in urban and rural communities. 1985 • Undergraduate Thesis: Education Using Visual Arts as a Non-Formal Educational Tool for Rural Children in Bandung, FSRD-ITB, Bandung, Indonesia. 1981 • Co-founder of Yayasan Anak Merdeka, an alternative education organization using art as a tool for child development and learning. Awards and Grants 2006 • Canada Council for the Arts Travel Grant for participation in workshops at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. 2003–2006 • Ontario Arts Council Grants supporting the Javanese Creative Shadow Puppetry Project for elementary schools in Toronto, Canada.
Karya - Karya Karakter karya Susiawan cenderung ekspresif, intuitif, dan kontemplatif. Ia menggunakan warna-warna kuat serta bentuk organik yang mengalir untuk membangun suasana energi batin, bukan menggambarkan realitas secara harfiah. Ciri utamanya adalah pertemuan antara abstraksi, figur yang tersamar, unsur alam, dan simbol spiritual. Garis berputar, lapisan warna, serta motif yang mengingatkan pada ornamen tradisi Jawa–Bali menjadikan karyanya terasa dinamis sekaligus meditatif. Dalam karya-karya awal, lanskap dan ruang arsitektural masih tampak lebih jelas; pada karya Lukisan Sukma, bentuknya berkembang menjadi lebih bebas dan spontan. Secara keseluruhan, karya Susiawan menawarkan pengalaman melihat sebagai proses perenungan: menghubungkan tubuh, ingatan budaya, alam, dan dimensi spiritual. Drawing Susiawan memperlihatkan bahasa visual yang sangat spontan, organis, dan meditatif. Melalui arang atau tinta hitam di atas kertas, ia membangun bentuk-bentuk yang berada di antara figur manusia, makhluk mitologis, tumbuhan, sayap, dan ornamen. Garis bukan sekadar kontur, melainkan jejak gerak tubuh dan aliran energi batin. Secara keseluruhan, drawing Susiawan berkarakter spontan, gestural, dan kontemplatif. Garis-garisnya bergerak bebas, berulang, serta membentuk ritme yang terasa seperti aliran napas atau energi batin. Ia tidak mengejar penggambaran figur yang realistis; figur manusia, bentuk tumbuhan, sayap, topeng, dan makhluk imajiner hadir secara hibrid dan terus berubah. Karya-karya ini memperlihatkan kedekatan dengan dunia ornamen, wayang, serta simbol-simbol kosmologis Jawa–Bali. Namun, semua unsur tersebut tidak disalin secara dekoratif, melainkan diterjemahkan menjadi bahasa personal yang intuitif. Kontras hitam–putih dan penggunaan ruang kosong memperkuat suasana hening, mistis, sekaligus dinamis. Drawing Susiawan dapat dibaca sebagai praktik perenungan melalui garis: sebuah upaya menyatukan tubuh, alam, ingatan budaya, dan pengalaman spiritual dalam bentuk-bentuk yang terbuka untuk ditafsirkan.
The Works Susiawan’s work tends to be expressive, intuitive, and contemplative. He employs strong colors and flowing organic forms to evoke an atmosphere of inner energy rather than to depict reality literally. A defining characteristic of his practice is the intersection of abstraction, obscured figures, natural elements, and spiritual symbols. Spiraling lines, layers of color, and motifs reminiscent of Javanese and Balinese traditional ornamentation lend his works a sense of dynamism while maintaining a meditative quality. In his earlier works, landscapes and architectural spaces remain more clearly recognizable; in his Soul Painting (Lukisan Sukma) works, forms develop into something freer and more spontaneous. Overall, Susiawan’s work invites viewing as a process of contemplation—connecting the body, cultural memory, nature, and the spiritual dimension. Susiawan’s drawings reveal a highly spontaneous, organic, and meditative visual language. Working primarily with charcoal or black ink on paper, he creates forms that exist somewhere between human figures, mythological beings, plants, wings, and ornamental motifs. The line is not merely a contour, but a trace of bodily movement and the flow of inner energy. Overall, Susiawan’s drawings are spontaneous, gestural, and contemplative. His lines move freely and repeatedly, creating rhythms that suggest the flow of breath or inner energy. He does not seek realistic representation; human figures, plant forms, wings, masks, and imaginary creatures emerge in hybrid forms that continually transform. These works reveal an affinity with the worlds of ornamentation, wayang, and Javanese–Balinese cosmological symbols. Yet these elements are not reproduced decoratively; rather, they are translated into a personal and intuitive visual language. The black-and-white contrast and the use of empty space reinforce an atmosphere that is simultaneously quiet, mystical, and dynamic. Susiawan’s drawings can be understood as a contemplative practice through line: an attempt to bring together the body, nature, cultural memory, and spiritual experience through forms that remain open to interpretation.
Imaji Kanda Pat #06, 2022 Watercolor & chinese ink on paper, 38 cm x 29 cm
Lukisan Sukma #3, 2020. Acrylic on canvas, 144 cm x 104 cm
Lukisan Sukma #1, 2019
Cetak Saring #1, 1980
Tera Batu #3, 1980
Etsa #1, 1979
Etsa #3, 1980
Lukisan Sukma #1, 2019 Acrylic on canvas, 153 cm x 123 cm
Imaji Kanda Pat #4, 1990 Acrylic on Kopral’s recycled paper, 38 cm x 28 cm
#4, 2022 Acrylic, watercolor on paper, 38 cm x 28 cm
#01, 2021 Acrylic, watercolor on paper, 38 cm x 29 cm
Pencerahan (Enlightnment) #1, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 150 cm x 120 cm
Imaji Kanda Pat #05, 2022 Acrylic, watercolor on paper,
38 cm x 28 cm
Peralihan (Transition) #1, 2007 Acrylic on Kopral’s recycled paper, 46 cm x 36 cm
Peralihan (Transition) #2, 2006 Acrylic on Kopral’s recycled paper, 46 cm x 36 cm
Peralihan (Transition) #3, 2006 Acrylic on Kopral’s recycled paper, 46 cm x 36 cm
Imaji Kanda Pat #01, 2023 Acrylic on Kopral’s recycled paper,38 cm x 28 cm
Imaji Kanda Pat #02, 2023 Acrylic, Chinese ink on Kopral’s recycled paper
38 cm x 28 cm
Imaji Kanda Pat #03, 2023 Acrylic, Chinese ink on
Kopral’s recycled paper 38 cm x 28 cm
Susan Allen dan Susiawan, Ubud 2026
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Bandung 1979 - 1990
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Cirebon 1990 -1995
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Canada 1995 - 2007
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Bali 2007 - Sekarang