Eko Nugroho

b. 1977, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Eko Nugroho is known for his reinterpretations of traditional Indonesian media and techniques, fluidly combined with a stylised aesthetic evocative of comic books. Employing humour and vivid colours, Eko’s embroidered paintings, sculptures, community collaborations, and performances examine the socio-political climate of Indonesia and the contemporary urban environment of Yogyakarta. Eko also incorporates traditional techniques like embroidery and the dyeing process known as ‘batik’ into his work. Since 2007, he has worked with a small village to create embroidered paintings characterised by enigmatic and humorous scenes executed in bold colours.

Eko enrolled in the Painting Department of the Indonesian Art Institute, Yogyakarta, in 1997—a year before the authoritarian regime of Suharto came to an end. In the following years, known as the Reformasi era, Nugroho experienced first-hand the major waves of transformation across Indonesia. This included greater freedom of expression and the import of Western comics and Pop art aesthetics that allowed for an explosion of experimentation in the arts.

Notable solo exhibitions include: ‘Lost in Parody’, Arario Gallery, Seoul (2020); ‘Nowhere is My Destination’, Art Front Gallery, Tokyo (2019); ‘Plastic Democracy’, ARNDT, Berlin (2018); ‘Lot Lost’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2016); ‘Landscape Anomaly’, Galeri Salihara, Jakarta (2015); and ‘Témoin Hybride’, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (2012).

Notable group exhibitions include: ‘Nothing Lasts Nothing’s Finished’, Sullivan+Strumpf Singapore (2020); ‘ARTJOG: Resilience’, Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta (2020); ‘Setouchi Triennale’, Japan (2019); ‘Àbadakone/Continuous Fire’, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2019); ‘Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia’, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2019); and ‘Writing Without Borders’, Lehmann Maupin, Hong Kong (2013).

Biography information from Ocula, August 2023