Handiwirman Saputra

Born 1975 in Bukittinggi, Sumatra, Indonesia
Lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Handiwirman is a cofounder and member of Jendela Art Group. He was initially known for his installations of objects and found objects he composed without almost any artistic pretension. The objects – thread, wire, bits of paper, plastic lumps, and hair – were presented practically just as they were. Such anti-aesthetic tendency also appeared in his painting. Only in mid-2000 did he present several surprising works with neatness and fascinating realist techniques. The same thing occurred for his installation work: it showed careful selection of materials and technical rigor. What remained the same was Handiwirman’s view of “beauty”. He searches to offer beauty out of simple things around him.

This means his paintings are an extension of the still-life genre. The thematic emphasis in Handiwirman’s painting is on the issue of perception, the way of seeing. So the object forms seen in his painting are often two-dimensional shapes representations of the objects he himself has made and assembled. With careful consideration he selects materials and colours to present in configurations of ‘objects’ that provoke us to associate the perceived forms with things that are familiar in our daily life. Any definitive meanings or conclusive narratives are almost always cancelled out by the vast possibilities of association on the viewers’ part.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2012
Ujung Sangkut Sisi Sentuh/Suspended Forms, Singapore Tyler Print Institute
2011
Tak Berakar, Tak Berpucuk (No Roots, No Shoots), Indonesia National Gallery, Jakarta
2009
Things, the Order of Handiwirman, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2008
In Lingo – Mapping Asia: 33 Young Asian Artists Solo Shows, The 5th China International Gallery Exposition (CIGE), Special Project, Beijing
Nothing-Something-Nothing, Showcase Singapore, Old City Hall
Inanimate Performance, Soka Art Center, Taipei, China (with Agus Suwage)
2007
Archaeology of a Hotel Room, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
2004
Apa-apanya Dong?, Nadi Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
2002
Patah Hati/Broken Heart, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2000
Provocative Objects, Lontar Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
1999
Object, Benda Art Space, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Handiwirman Saputra, Organik Oooh…Plastik #2, from the series: Tak Berakar, Tak Berpucuk , 2013, Digital C-print on photo paper, mounted on aluminium with acrylic cover, Unique edition, 111 x 100 cm | 43.7 x 39.37 in # SAPU0001

Exhibitions

"Sip! Indonesian Art Today" - Exhibition View at ARNDT Berlin, April - June 2013 | Click on image to see more

"Sip! Indonesian Art Today" - Exhibition View at ARNDT Berlin, April - June 2013

SIP! INDONESIAN ART TODAY / SENI RUPA INDONESIA KINI

The past three generations of Indonesian Contemporary Art

Group show by ARNDT Berlin

27 April to 01 June 2013
Tue – Sat, 11am – 6pm

Please click here to watch a video of the "Sip! Indonesian Art Today" show in Berlin.

The exhibition "Sip! Indonesian Art Today" and the accompanying publication results from ARNDT’s recent focus on Southeast Asian art and the new Asian and Pacific art markets. Over the past four years Matthias Arndt has worked in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. His research, the past shows of Southeast Asian artists and the opening of ARNDT Singapore, the Asian showroom and office of ARNDT, makes Matthias Arndt one of the leading experts for contemporary Indonesian and Southeast Asian Art in Germany and Europe.

The exhibition "Sip! Indonesian Art Today", curated by Enin Supriyanto, is the 10th show dedicated to Southeast Asian art ARNDT is hosting in Singapore, Australia, Great Britain and Berlin. The 150 page publication "Sip! Indonesian Art Today" edited by Matthias Arndt and published at DISTANZ Verlag (ISBN 978-3-95476-007-7) is available in all bookstores.

The public talk "The last three decades of artistic production in Indonesia: 25 years of Cemeti Art House and the status of curating.” with Enin Supriyanto (curator) and Mella Jaarsma (artist), moderated by Katerina Valdivia Bruch (curator / critic) will take place at ARNDT Berlin on 27 April 2013 at 4 pm.

The exhibition presents over 40 works from all artistic mediums, painting, sculpture, installation, photography and film, by 16 contemporary artists from Indonesia. They belong to a larger community of artists who are actively shaping Indonesia’s dynamic developing contemporary art scene. If we consider their age and career development, the artists here represent 3 generations of contemporary art practice dating back from the late 1970s: beginning first with FX Harsono, one of the proponents of the Indonesian New Art Movement (Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru) founded in 1975 followed by a group of artists who emerged at a time when Indonesia was undergoing major socio-political transformations in its strive towards democracy during the late 1990s (Agung Kurniawan, Agus Suwage, Mella Jaarsma), the post-Reformasi (Reformation) generation of artists (Christine Ay Tjoe, Entang Wiharso, Rudi Mantofani, Handiwirman Saputra, Eko Nugroho, Syagini Ratna Wulan and Arin Dwihartanto Sunaryo), and finally a generation of artists who have been active in the past decade, sophisticated operators of their own careers in a more or less stable and democratic Indonesia (Wedhar Riyadi, J. Ariadithya Pramuhendra, Wiyoga Muhardanto, Indieguerillas and Tromarama).

The generational differences do not only represent differing socio-political experiences in connection with the development of Indonesia’s society in the past three decades but also illustrates the differing socio-political contexts of the artists observations and artistic approaches that have changed and altered over the years.

The word “Sip” in Bahasa Indonesia may be a simple and modest one but it is full of meaning. While the origin of this word is unknown, it is a word that is used by nearly everyone every day. “Sip” is the briefest way to state that something – whether an art work, an event, an experience or anything – is good, of good quality, super or outstanding even. Like this word, and like the process of our ongoing global culture, we do not question the origin of an idea, but we consider how this idea can continue to grow and contribute to the interaction and civilization of the world. In a way, we can say that ‘Sip’ has no such thing as exotic cultural background, neither stereotypical cultural baggage. Whatever the case, the meaning is clear: good, great, outstanding.

For more information and images, please contact info@arndtberlin.com or +49 30 206 13870.

Please click here to download the press release as PDF file (English)

Please click here to download the press release as PDF file (German)