• Danysz Paris - Marais is pleased to present Eko Nugroho's solo exhibition: "Heads Full of Empty Views" from October 15 to November 26, 2022. The internationally renowned contemporary Indonesian artist who invested the spaces of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 2012, is finally back in France and invites us to discover all the richness and extent of his art through this major solo show, that dives us into a surrealist universe, resolutely graphic and penetrating, with its bright and vivid works that convey an optimistic energy without limit.

    "I create characters who only observe with their eyes, but not with their ears or their voice.

    This represents the generation that doesn't want to talk and doesn't want to listen.

    There is no communication. The eyes are witnesses for me."
    – Eko Nugroho



  • "Heads Full of Empty Views" is a project that speaks about people, particularly the modern people in today’s society.  
    People that are around us, including myself and yourself. Us and our heads. Us and what exists in our minds." 
    - Eko Nugroho 

  • "It was in July 2010 that I met Eko Nugroho for the first time at Yogya. I was struck by his enthusiasm. He is an artist who gives himself no limits in creation and acts like a conductor. He takes possession of all the space that is offered to him. The visitor is truly overwhelmed by his works. Eko is the artist of all identities. His repetitive mural patterns curiously recall those of Sonia Delaunay. He is both modernist and futurist. He has managed to perpetuate in an original way the batik technique, formerly used for the clothes of the royal family. Eko shows us a hybrid work, generous and resolutely universal."

     - Hervé Mikaeloff, independent curator and art advisor for Louis-Vuitton and the LVMH Group.

  • Reinterpration of spiritual Totems
    Eko Nugroho, Knowing but Hard to Understand, 2022 - Embroidered painting - 268 x 145 cm

    Reinterpration of spiritual Totems

    The exhibition "Heads Full of Empty Views" consists of new paintings and embroideries inspired visually and conceptually by the Native American totem, a spiritual symbol and emblem representing a group of people, families, or tribes. The heads of animals or mythical figures carved mainly vertically on a pole to signify lineages, hierarchies, or the juxtaposition of meanings, are extrapolated by Nugroho as a universal image of overlapped human heads. The correlation with the vertical heads points to a loss of spiritual connection with nature and ourselves, while the human head becomes the embodiment of rationality with the mind seen as sacred and above everything else. The only thing humans believe in the modern world is the intellect, placed at the highest level of achievement and power.
     
    Nugroho’s interest is to observe and reflect on the current events unfolding around the world, from the pandemic, war, to the economic imbalances caused by these global disharmonies. The works become a reflection of the human behaviours and dynamics caused by such events, highlighting interlaced issues of global migration, economic turmoil, or the post-pandemic phenomenon. He correlates the constant evolution and circularity of such situations with the centrality of human mind – the problems we face globally start, grow, develop, and end at the level of the mind, from what people think and how the results of their minds and thinking impact the world.
    • Eko Nugroho Knowing but Hard to Understand, 2022 Embroidered painting 260 x 125 cm 105 1/2 x 57 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Knowing but Hard to Understand, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      260 x 125 cm
      105 1/2 x 57 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Museum of Remains, 2022 Embroidered painting 277 x 120 cm 114 x 61 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Museum of Remains, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      277 x 120 cm
      114 x 61 in
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    • Eko Nugroho We are a Home, 2022 Embroidered painting 255 x 140 cm 108 1/2 x 62 in
      Eko Nugroho
      We are a Home, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      255 x 140 cm
      108 1/2 x 62 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho We are Just Illusion, 2022 Embroidered painting 250 x 150 cm
      Eko Nugroho
      We are Just Illusion, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      250 x 150 cm
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    • Eko Nugroho Denied of Promised land, 2021 Embroidered painting 163 x 165 cm 64 x 65 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Denied of Promised land, 2021
      Embroidered painting
      163 x 165 cm
      64 x 65 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho The Family, 2021 Embroidered painting 161 x 146 cm 63 1/2 x 57 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      The Family, 2021
      Embroidered painting
      161 x 146 cm
      63 1/2 x 57 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Human I Love You, 2021 Embroidered painting 157 x 153 cm 61 x 60 inches
      Eko Nugroho
      Human I Love You, 2021
      Embroidered painting
      157 x 153 cm
      61 x 60 inches
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho, We are Complaining about a Future That Doesn't Exist, 2021
      Eko Nugroho, We are Complaining about a Future That Doesn't Exist, 2021
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  • A multifaceted artist
    Eko Nugroho, While You As Me And Me As You #3, 2020 - Acrylic on Canvas - 150 x 100 cm

    A multifaceted artist

    Eko Nugroho's artistic practice is multidisciplinary: the artist uses a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, embroidery and installations, not to mention performance and video art. In his work, illustration is very present: in addition to all the mediums he uses, he is also the author of many comic strips. His works are all deeply rooted in local traditions and the urban environment. Hence, when deployed on different media, his major themes are embodied by extraordinary hybrid objects, sometimes in the realm of the jungle, and other times in the great towers of the city. The contemporary artist knows how to catch the attention by an iconography gleaned from his wanderings that convey an optimistic energy tinged with a critical discourse full of hope. 

     

    “While You as Me and Me As You #3 & #4” are part of a series which highlights the lack of empathy in today’s society. People tend to talk more about themselves but listen less to others. It’s a reflection on our own ego, our individual perspectives and the need to put ourselves in someone else’s position.

    “The masked figure symbolizes our identity and the way we approach it. Each of us wears a mask on a daily basis, depending on the role we take on within a social group. We rarely reveal our true selves, not even to ourselves sometimes.” 
    - Eko Nugroho
  • Making art for the people
    Eko Nugroho, The Family, 2021 - Embroidered painting - 161 x 146 cm

    Making art for the people

    Eko Nugroho makes art for the people and turn the people into a source of inspiration. The artist explores the often absurd condition of human being through his practice, which is inspired by the urban environment and his own experiences. 
     
    His works are populated by masked figures, who hide, argue and struggle as much as the human beings they represent. Nugroho has this ability to connect with the environment that surrounds him, and to capture the noise and fury of the street, the interplay of eyes, the identities and attitudes. He expresses these flows in his drawings and patterns that invade the space and all means of creation are appropriate to represent these fusions between Indonesia and the West, street culture and the art world, political issues and intimate reflections. 
     

    "The work The Family explores the idea of an ideal family portrait amidst the backdrop of war. Thinking of a family portrait becomes distorted as in several countries people become victims of war, separated from their families, or having to leave behind family members. Families are being constantly displaced because of the war, causing loss and disintegration. This work shows a family portrait hiding behind green bushes and behind everything that what is going on in the world."
    - Eko Nugroho



  • Eko Nugroho, We Always Just Try to be Blind, 2018 - Manual embroidery - 646 x 244 cm
  • An art community
    Eko Nugroho's studio, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

    An art community

    Honoring the spirit of "goton royong", an Indonesian expression that evokes the mutual assistance between Javanese people, Eko Nugroho founded a workshop in which he surrounded himself with about twenty artists mastering different artistic techniques, in order to assist him in the realization of his artworks in their different mediums. The values of the population of Yogyakarta have been built over the centuries around the idea of sharing and mutual aid, which is strongly felt in the artistic practice of Eko Nugroho.
     
    Aware of the socio-economic reality linked, among other things, to the mechanization of workshops around the world, the artist defends tradition and offers work to a part of the community, while preserving ancestral know-how. Indeed, to produce his works, Eko Nugroho uses ancient and traditional Indonesian weaving and dyeing processes.

    "The vitality of Yogyakarta comes mainly from the craft activity. I really enjoy working with this community, it is a enriching alternative to my studio practice." 

    -Eko Nugroho 

  • Tradition and modernity
    Eko Nugroho, Denied of Promised land, 2021 - Embroidered painting - 163 x 165 cm

    Tradition and modernity

    It is in the heart of Yogyakarta, where Eko Nugroho grew up, that he founded his workshop. He collaborates there daily with talented artists who weave the thread meticulously according to a local sewing method and assist in the production of his canvas-embroideries, or "manual embroideries" as he calls them. For Eko Nugroho, embroidery is a form of drawing: the peregrinations of the threads on the fabric are thought of as painting on a canvas. Thus, in his creative process, the drawing comes first like the pattern in couture. Then, the sketch comes to life as the medium is covered with embroidered threads of a myriad of colors. 

     “In contemporary Indonesian society, changes happen in years or even decades. Our traditional agrarian society, always accustomed to living off the produce of the land, must today adapt to industrialization and urbanization. It all inevitably modifies human values. It is difficult to ignore these phenomena and the way they change our way of life. This is the reason why I include them in my works.”

    -Eko Nugroho 

    • Eko Nugroho Promises , 2022 Acrylic on Canvas 150 x 100 cm 59 x 39 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Promises , 2022
      Acrylic on Canvas
      150 x 100 cm
      59 x 39 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho While You As Me And Me As You #3, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 150 x 100 cm 59 x 39 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      While You As Me And Me As You #3, 2020
      Acrylic on Canvas
      150 x 100 cm
      59 x 39 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho While You As Me And Me As You #4, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 150 x 100 cm 59 x 39 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      While You As Me And Me As You #4, 2020
      Acrylic on Canvas
      150 x 100 cm
      59 x 39 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Existence, 2022 Acrylic on Canvas 150 x 100 cm 59 x 39 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Existence, 2022
      Acrylic on Canvas
      150 x 100 cm
      59 x 39 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Above Our Head Far From the Heart, 2022 Embroidered painting 248 x 128 cm 106 1/2 x 50 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Above Our Head Far From the Heart, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      248 x 128 cm
      106 1/2 x 50 1/2 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Building Hope and Keep Building It, 2022 Embroidered painting 270 x 130 cm 107 1/2 x 53 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Building Hope and Keep Building It, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      270 x 130 cm
      107 1/2 x 53 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Democracy is a Star Shining Only at Dark, 2022 Embroidered painting 257 x 155 cm 104 1/2 x 61 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Democracy is a Star Shining Only at Dark, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      257 x 155 cm
      104 1/2 x 61 in
      Enquire
    • Eko Nugroho Hierarchy is Our First Name, 2022 Embroidered painting 280 x 120 cm 112 x 52 1/2 in
      Eko Nugroho
      Hierarchy is Our First Name, 2022
      Embroidered painting
      280 x 120 cm
      112 x 52 1/2 in
      Enquire
  • Javanese Batik
    Eko Nugroho working in his Yogyakarta Studio - Indonesia, 2021

    Javanese Batik

    To create his works on canvas, Eko Nugroho uses another Indonesian traditional technique called "Batik". This dyeing process commonly used for textile materials, has existed for centuries and has taken different forms depending on the peoples and cultures that have used it in West Africa, the Middle East and Asia. However, it is in Indonesia that this technique of dyeing-painting on textiles is the most elaborate. The so-called "Javanese" Batik is still produced in a very traditional way in the royal cities of Solo, Banyumas and Yogyakarta.
     
    Therefore, the artist follows this Javanese tradition by using this process to make his works on canvas. This complex and fascinating ancestral technique is now updated thanks to the themes addressed by Eko Nugroho, who builds bridges between tradition and modernity. 
     

  • "The different figures represent characters, it's my world of creatures, in a way. Some represent greed, others evoke our resemblance to machines... The same character can be placed in different situations. We hide behind a mask in the different areas of life: when we fall in love, when we make peace, declare war, etc." 

    -Eko Nugroho 

     

  • Criticism and Optimism
    Eko Nugroho, Promises, 2022 - Acrylic on Canvas - 150 x 100 cm

    Criticism and Optimism

    As part of the 2000s generation of contemporary Indonesian artists who came of age artistically during the tumultuous and creative period following the fall of President Haji Muhammad Suharto, Eko Nugroho's works - beyond their visually appealing aesthetics - are influenced by social, environmental, political, and economic issues, and are also a sharp critique of Indonesian democracy. The artist repurposes the image of masked identities to reflect the chaos, discrimination, and violence seen throughout history, veiled by a facade of democracy, equality, and peace, with vivid brushstrokes that fill the scenes of his paintings.

     

    "The work Promises features a series of characters with heads made of tropical forests, forests which have been cut and burnt by large corporations for capitalist purposes. Although we are aware that Indonesia is a lung supplying the world with oxygen, due to economic interests those lungs have been deteriorated and destroyed. The figure in the painting also has the word “prosperity” tattooed on his chest to point to the fact that we no longer can manifest prosperity as the resources we have are slowly exhausting and disappearing." - Eko Nugroho

     

    However, while the message may be about political issues in today's society, hope and solidarity are always at the heart of Eko Nugroho's work. Whether democracy, religion, urbanism or ecology, his works are at the same time very critical and full of humor and exuberance, as can be seen in the titles given by the artist to his works: Happy To Be Alienated, Yes We Concern About Nothing, or We Are Complaining About a Future That Doesn't Exist.


  • Eko Nugroho graduated from the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta in 2006 and exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore...

    Eko Nugroho graduated from the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta in 2006 and exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore in 2008. His work has been shown internationally in group and solo exhibitions: Contemporary Arts Centre in New Orleans (2008), Lyon Biennale (2009), MOCA Shanghai (2010), ZKM Karlsruhe (2011), National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (2011), Musée d'art moderne in Paris (2012), Venice Biennale (2013), Kunstverein in Frankfurt (2015) and M+ in Hong Kong (2018). His works are present in numerous public and private collections in Asia, Europe, America and Oceania. He lives and works in Yogyakarta. 

  • Stay tuned for more:

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