These Painter's Painters

These Painter’s Painters imagines a show that gathers painters from around Asia who each have distinctive practices, backgrounds, and interests. Each individual lexicon is articulated through very different approaches. There is a spectrum of varying explorations in figuration/abstraction, corporality/separation, flatness/sculpturality, histories/representation, subjectivity/objectivity, intention/accident, repetition/gesture, poetry/systems. It is difficult to place each painter’s practice within easily defined conceptual boundaries: dichotomist, over-simplistic attitudes will only lead to marginal understandings of each painter’s work. It is almost as if the material of each painter’s work becomes much less important than their respective content, and here is the interesting juncture: that each painter’s practice self-reflexively addresses its own genre in some way.

Presented independently from one another in different contexts, each painter is ablebto stand alone and invite its audience to ponder upon plethora of multifaceted ideas.
The hypothesis behind These Painter’s Painters, however, is that there is a way by which placing certain painter’s works together creates a dialogue that may enrich our understanding of each artist’s individual practices.

These Painter’s Painters imagines the possibility of only painters being its sole audience. That even then, it would be worthwhile for themselves. Like a show of little-inside jokes, irony, and hat-tips to history that only other painters would understand, with the presence of an audience. It is then up to the observer to contemplate upon these ideas and reach their own inferences.

These Painter’s Painters does not pretend to be a comprehensive survey of painters in any way, but instead is based on one’s reflection and observations on how to present cohesively a stimulating conversation of painters around the region who’s works otherwise would rarely get a chance to be seen together.

Born 1978, Surakarta, Indonesia
Lives and works in Surakarta, Indonesia

Aditya Novali works with a variety of materials, often first conceiving an idea and then finding the right medium to transcribe his vision. His background in architecture influences his sensitivity to structure, space, and knowledge of construction – key elements of his approach and aesthetic. Addressing themes such as boundaries, identities, materialism, and urban life, Novali’s work interacts with the viewer and transforms with each viewing.

Novali received his Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung, Indonesia, in 2002; and an IM Master of Conceptual Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2008. Novali’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and institutions both locally and internationally. Selected solo exhibitions include Ends at Nova Contemporary, Bangkok, Thailand (2024); New Obsolescence: ADITYAVOVALI at ROH, Jakarta, Indonesia (2023); WHY at Tumurun Museum, Solo, Indonesia (2022); ME:DI:UM with ROH Projects at Liste Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland (2019); Significant Other at ShanghArt Gallery, Singapore (2019); Caprice with ROH Projects at Art Basel Hong Kong: Discoveries, Hong Kong (2018); and ACRYLIC at ROH Projects, Jakarta, Indonesia (2016). Notable group exhibitions are, among others, Taipei Biennial 2023: Small World at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (2023); Dhaka Art Summit: বন্যা/Bonna at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2023); On Muzharul Islam: Surfacing Intention at Dhaka Art Summit: Seismic Movements, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020); The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, Brisbane, Australia (2018); DIASPORA: Exit, Exile, Exodus of Southeast Asia at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand (2018); The 15th Asia Art Festival: Multiple Spectacle Art from Asia at Ningbo Art Museum, Ningbo, China (2017); Imaginary Synonym at Tokyo Wonder Site, Tokyo, Japan (2016); Aku Diponegoro at National Gallery of Indonesia, Indonesia (2015); Shout! Indonesian Contemporary Art at Museo d’Arte Contemporanea (MACRO), Italy (2014); Little Water at Dojima River Biennale, Osaka, Japan (2013); and South East Asia (SEA)+ Triennale at National Gallery of Indonesia, Indonesia (2013). Novali was nominated for Best Emerging Artist Using Installation at the 2016 Prudential Eye Awards in Singapore; Finalist in the 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize, and awarded Best Artwork in the Bandung Contemporary Art Awards (BaCAA) in the same year.

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