Ben Brown Fine Arts Hong Kong is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed Indonesian contemporary artist Yunizar. This exhibition brings together a new group of works directly from the artist’s studio in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, all of which are painted in his characteristically intuitive, obsessive, enigmatic and spontaneous style.
Yunizar’s large-scale canvases teem with organic imagery and erratic, rhythmic words and lines that appear at once haphazard and uniquely coded. He works in an entirely instinctive and impulsive manner, creating a visual language that is not necessarily meant to be deciphered but rather absorbed visually and emotionally by the viewer. His visual vocabulary is culled from the mundane and organic surroundings of his everyday life and bears influence from the rich cultural and political heritage of Indonesia. While there is a naïve quality to Yunizar’s work, there is also evidence of his stringent artistic training and deep understanding of art historical traditions, resulting in a complex and intriguing body of work. This exhibition includes both canvases and works on paper.
Yunizar was born in Talawi, West Sumatra, Indonesia, in 1971 and graduated from the prestigious Indonesian Institute for the Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta in 1999. Yogyakarta is a progressive cultural center of Indonesia, attracting artists from around the country. Yunizar is a leading member of the Jendela group, Indonesia's most prominent contemporary art collective.