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Art Plus: Masriadi’s New York Show
MASRIADI’S SUCCESS IN THE GLOBAL ARENA IS BRINGING INCREASED ATTENTION TO INDONESIA FROM COLLECTORSWords and Photos Richard HorstmanNyoman Masriadi’s story reads unlike any other within the history of Indonesian art
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MASRIADI’S SUCCESS IN THE GLOBAL ARENA IS BRINGING INCREASED ATTENTION TO INDONESIA FROM COLLECTORS
Words and Photos Richard Horstman
Nyoman Masriadi’s story reads unlike any other within the history of Indonesian art.
It charts the phenomenal rise of a talented painter, who in 2008, at the age of 36, achieved the prestige of being the first Southeast Asian artist whose works topped US$1 million at auction.
It was a feat that propelled him into the international art spotlight.
Singaporean art dealer Jusdeep Shandu stumbled across Masriadi in the artist’s studio in Yogyakarta in 1996.
“It was a departure from anything else I had ever seen,” Shandu said, commenting on the painter’s self portrait Pulau Bali (Island of Bali).
Shandu became instrumental in Masriadi’s career development via his Gajah Gallery in Singapore.
In 1991, Masriadi moved from his birthplace of Bali to Central Java to study art at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta, leaving before his final assessment due to a conflict of interests with his teachers.
In 1997, he returned to Bali with his wife to be, and for a year worked feverously churning out souvenir paintings of Balinese mythological figures. This led to the development of his first superhero characters.
With his new family he returned to Yogyakarta as Indonesia was undergoing a turbulent transition.
Following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the fall of the New Order in 1998; the Indonesian art scene shifted, almost overnight, from conservative expressionist paintings with traditional themes to inspiring socially engaged art.
Masriadi became enormously productive. His works addressed themes of social injustice, corruption and military abuse, flavored by satirical wit and a bold figurative style.
In 2006, a Masriadi painting sold for $10,000. However, it wasn’t until 2008 when Sudah Biasa di Telanjangi (Used to Being Stripped)—depicting a black-skinned, muscle-bound man wearing pink bikini briefs around his ankles, covering himself with hands bound by rope—sold at auction for $540,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong.
Prior to this, interest in Indonesian art at regional auctions had been confined to old masters, such as Hendra Gunawan and Affandi.
“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” the art-school dropout said about his rising popularity.
Masriadi’s stratospheric ascent had only begun.
At an auction in 2008 at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Sorry Hero, Saya Lupa (Sorry Hero, I Forgot) set another record, at $619,000.
Only two days later “The Man from Bantul” (Final Round) sold for US$1,000,725.
“Low estimates were a major factor in Masriadi’s initial market acceleration, since they paled in comparison with many other Asian artists’ prices at the time,” Shandu said.
A first solo exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum in 2008, “Masriadi: Black Is My Last Weapon,” showcased his oeuvre to a growing international audience.
Co-organized by Shandu and spanning Masriadi’s 10-year career, the exhibition explored the evolution of his love of comics and video games and characters who make satirical and poignant statements about national and global issues.
The show highlighted his technical excellence as well as his ambivalence toward the art world as well.
During this exhibition, the Paul Kasmin Gallery of New York expressed interest in working with Shandu to bring Masriadi to the US.
The artist’s latest exhibition “Nyoman Masriadi”, opened on April 28 in New York.
It features five new paintings, never-before-exhibited works dating between from 2012 and 2014 and a series of five 91.4 x 129.5 x 76.2 cm bronze sculptures titled Piglet.
“The gallery has primarily focused on placing Masriadi in American and European collections. The more audiences in the west get to see the paintings in person, the more deeply they engage,” Paul Kasmin Gallery senior director Nicholas Olney said. “It’s very rare for him to have a gallery show and sales have been excellent. Masriadi’s position as a truly internationally artist has been cemented.”
He continues. “There is a growing awareness in the US in Indonesia as a destination and as a fertile art community. I’m looking forward to spending more time in Yogyakarta and Bandung to see what the younger generations of artists are working on.”
As technology progressively collapses the borders, artists are in the drivers seat.
Three international events highlight the 2016 Indonesian art calendar: ArtJog9 in May and June, and Bazaar Art Jakarta 2016 and Art Stage Jakarta, both in August.
All will s=howcase homegrown names and fresh talent for local and international collectors.
Will Indonesia witness another sensation like Masriadi? Such a meteoric rise maybe unlikely, yet art markets are cyclic, and while the future is unknown it is ripe with opportunities.
Nyoman Masriadi
Until June 28
Paul Kasmin Gallery
293 Tenth Avenue, New York
paulkasmingallery.com
