Born and raised in Yogyakarta, internationally-renowned Eko Nugroho has been recognised as one of the most popular and accessible interpreters of contemporary experience. His background in street art and community-based artwork is the quintessential aspect of his expanded body of works. From paintings, drawings, and embroideries, to murals, sculpture, or video, his works are deeply anchored in both local traditions and urban environment.
Eko Nugroho, (left to right) ‘Multi-Identity’, ‘Please Donate Your Love’ and ‘Still Equal?’, 2013
The artist’s trademark consists of a new visual language where political messages are playfully intertwined with appropriated aesthetics of street art, graffiti, and comics. Similarly at STPI, the artist takes inspiration from his observation of Singapore’s socio-political landscape to create over 70 artworks during his residency.
Eko Nugroho, ‘Multi-Identity’ (detail), 2013
This concern coalesces with his keen interest in masks as images, objects and second skins, as well as the notion of “masking” as a form of concealment or disguise. For Nugroho, the masked face also symbolises Man’s inherent “two-faced-ness”: the ability to change identities, conform and adopt a new persona for protection or as a form of disguise and transformation.
Visit our Artsy Viewing Room to learn more, and to view all available artworks here.
Exhibitions at STPI
Turning the Axis of the World (2020)
Allegories & Identities (2017)
STPI Annual Group Show: Looks Good on Paper (2016)
Eko Nugroho: We Are What We Mask (2013)
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Publication and Prints
“Moving comfortably between high and low, from museum walls to raw D-I-Y spaces and rural settings, the strength of Eko’s work seems to lie in its ability to adapt to different locales and engage with a diverse audience, transcending geographical, cultural and social boundaries.”
– Adeline Ooi, We Are What We Mask
The catalogue ‘Eko Nugroho: We Are What We Mask’, was published on the occasion of his solo exhibition with STPI. It contains essays by Dan Cameron and Adeline Ooi.
View this, as well as available prints, at The Corner Shop here.
Read more about the artist and his time at STPI
Eko Nugroho: We Are What We Mask
ArtReview, 27 November 2013
Unmasked: Indonesian Artists in Singapore
ArtAsiaPacific, 2 October 2013
Eko Nugroho: We Are What We Mask
Today, 11 September 2013
