Nyoman Masriadi’s Paintings at the Paul Kasmin Gallery

Paul Kasmin Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of Nyoman Masriadi’s paintings.

Raised in Bali and based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Masriadi has emerged as one of Asia’s strongest and most singular voices in contemporary painting.   First emerging in the late 1990s in the beginning of the post-Suharto era, Masriadi has earned international acclaim for his masterful, large-scale narrative works that provoke with their sharp observations the human condition.  Many of his works combine indigenous and global culture and iconography, creating a syncretic visual language all his own.

In the new paintings Old Master (Angry Samuro), 2016 and Bounty Hunter, 2016, Masriadi conjures monumental, muscular warriors who directly confront the viewer. Like 21st century talismans they embody the powerful potential of figurative painting.

Masriadi’s Not Bad, 2016, is a mockery of an allegorical, narcissistic character who believes his looks are more important than skill. In this case addressing vanity, it is common for Masriadi to represent universal human flaws such as greed, corruption, insecurity, and the daily struggle for power.

I Nyoman Masriadi was born 1973, in Gianyar, Bali and received his training in art at the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) Yogyakarta. In 2013 along with Lee Ufan and Zeng Fanzhi, Masriadi accepted the inaugural Asia Arts Award.