“Your Face Is In My Comic Book” Exhibition [Singapore / Indonesia]

Equator Art Projects is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Indonesian artist, Bambang ‘Toko’ Witjaksono, in Singapore. For his upcoming show, Bambang Toko has produced a new series of work experimenting with the techniques of traditional batik making. 

A well-recognised figure in contemporary Indonesian art, Bambang Toko is an artist, curator, educator and also one of the founding members of the artist collective, Apotik Komik (Comic Pharmacy). He is known for his bright, graphic style which references imagery from vintage Indonesian comics and pop culture. Reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein’s comic strip paintings, the forms within the composition are built up through flat expanses of vivid colour and are highlighted with solid black outlines, achieving a stenciled effect. On occasion, text is incorporated into the composition through the use of a speech bubble. These works are fused with playful narratives and filled with tongue-in-cheek humour.

For this exhibition, Bambang Toko will present a selection of batik paintings on both cotton and plywood. These new works reveal a shift in Bambang Toko’s artistic practice and are an exploration of new materials, as well as the potential of batik as a medium for painting. 

Bambang ‘Toko’ Witjaksono (b. 1973, Yogyakarta – Indonesia) graduated with a BFA in Printmaking from Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta, where he has been a lecturer since 1999. He later completed his MFA at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in 2004. Bambang has participated in artist residency programmes in Liechtenstein (2003), New Delhi (2006) and Darwin (2008). He has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Indonesia and abroad. Selected solo shows are Jakarta Art District (2010); Valentine Willie Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur (2009); Darwin Visual Art Association, Darwin (2008); Toimoi Art + Design Gallery, Jakarta (2007) and Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta (2001). He has participated in a plethora of group exhibitions at mo_space, Manila (2014); Nasional Galeri Indonesia, Jakarta (2013); Piccadily Place, Manchester (2011); Biennale Jogja X (2009), Langgeng Gallery, Magelang (2008); Valentine Willie Gallery, Singapore (2008) and Selasar Sunaryo, Bandung (2007). The artist lives and works in Yogyakarta.

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The exhibition runs until 30 November 2014.

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