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Foreword The influence Jean-Michel Basquiat has had, and continues to have, on the art world cannot be denied. Despite having passed on thirty two years ago, the aesthetics of his artworks remain fresh and relevant even three decades on. Social issues heavy on Basquiat’s mind back in the early-tolate 1980s are still issues that plague the world today. Conversation with Basquiat is the first of a two-part exhibition program conceptualized as a tribute to this influential artist who left us far too soon, just a few months short of his 28th birthday. 12 August was selected as the start of this exhibition, commemorating the 32nd anniversary of Basquiat’s demise in 1988. Having an international line-up for this exhibition serves to illustrate just how global Basquiat’s legacy is. From the heart of 1980s New York City, the artistic legacy Basquiat left behind has survived the test of time and transcended geography to reach not just Asia, from where the fifteen participating artists originate, but quite literally everywhere on the planet. Artemis Art takes this opportunity to thank the fifteen participating artists who agreed to being a part of this exhibition. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Julia Gallery (Taipei) and Vinyl On Vinyl Gallery (Manila) for their support in helping to make this exhibition a reality. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected the visual art industry in the worst way imaginable, affecting every facet of the art ecosystem. But an important silver lining is that it’s forced us to restrategize the remainder of 2020, and out of that exercise emerged the idea of doing this series of tribute exhibitions. Given the time constraints putting this exhibition together, we think Part One has turned out better than anticipated. More importantly, it provides a good teaser to what you can look forward to in Part Two. Once again, to the participating artists and everyone involved in making Conversation with Basquiat happen, our sincere and heartfelt thanks.
UC Loh & S. Jamal Al-Idrus Artemis Art August 2020, Kuala Lumpur
Participating Artists Ajim Juxta Angelo Magno Bibichun Chang Chiung-Fang Dedy Sufriadi Dennis Bato Haris Rashid Jaime Pacena II Oky Antonius Rangga A Putra Rekha Menon Rizal Hasan Ronald Caringal Suanjaya Kencut Syahbandi Samat
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Ajim Juxta b. 1983, Malaysia
Ajim Juxta Give And Take 30.5 x 30.5 cm Acrylic on Wood Panel 2020
Ajim Juxta Chaos And Chaos 30.5 x 61 cm (diptych) Acrylic on Wood Panel 2020
Ajim Juxta, Red X Black, Over And Over, 30.5 x 91 cm (triptych), Acrylic on Wood Panel, 2020
It has been almost 3 years since I saw Basquiat: Boom For Real exhibition at Barbican, London. His works reminded me of the energy and also the contemplation as a young artist. I was uncertain back then. But after seeing Basquiat’s work via internet, they act as an important reference when it comes to me being an outsider. These three works relate with what I have in mind thinking about him and his practice as an artist.
3 tahun telah berlalu semenjak aku melawat pameran Basquiat: Boom For Real di Barbican, London. Karya-karyanya mengingatkan aku tentang rasa dan bicara dalaman sebagai seorang Seniman muda. Dulu aku tiada arahtuju. Namun melihat akan karya-karya Basquiat melalui internet, ianya mejadi rujukan penting buatku sebagai outsider. Ketiga-tiga karyaku berkaitan dengan tanggapan tentang dia dan kerjanya sebagai seniman.
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Angelo Magno b. 1979, Philippines works by Angelo Magno 33 x 28 cm (48 x 35 cm paper size) Rubbercut with Chine Colle
Si Jean Michael Basquiat ay kilala sa kanyang mga “expressionist”na gawa na nagpapakita ng mga imahe at kataga. Ang kanyang mga obra ay mayroong mapaglarong isip at gumagagamit ng pagguhit ng isang bata dahil ayon sa kanya, mas gusto niya ang gawa ng mga bata kaysa sa gawa ng propersyonal na “artist”. Ang mga ulo o mukha sa kanyang mga obra ay malaking bahagi ng aking mga sariling mga gawa. Parang mga gawang bata o sa biglang tingin ay ubod ng simple. Ngunit hango ang mga ito sa malalim nap ag-iisip at pagunawa. Ang mga gawa ni Basquiat ay nagmumula sa kanyang sariling karanasan bilang isang “Black American Artist”.
Disquietude (2019)
Makikita ito sa paggamit niya ng matatapang na kulay at itim ng mga ulo na nagpapakita ng kanyang pagkakakilanlan at kung paano niya pinapatunayan ang kanyang sarili bilang isang “artist” sa “American Art Scene”. Makikita sa bawat mukha ang kanilang salaysay o nararamdaman. Ito ay ginamit ko din sa aking paggawa ng mga maskara. Sa mukha pa lang ay makikita mo na ang kabuuan ng isang tao, saloobin or emosyon. Ang lahat ay nakakaunawa ng sinasabi ng bawat mukha. Maaring nakikita rin natin an gating sarili sa mga ito. Ang bawat kultura ay may kanikaniyang interpretasyon o pagbibigay-buhay sa isang mukha - maaring maskara, “portrait”, “caricature” at iba pa. Ang mahalaga ay ito ay naiintindihan at nakakapagsalaysay sa bawat makakakita.
ID (2015)
Jean Michel Basquiat was well known for his gestural and expressionist works which depict characters incorporated with text. The naïve nature of his works mimics the spontaneity of the creative process of drawing done by children. “I like kids’ work more than work by real artists any day.”- as Basquiat states. His subject of heads and faces resonates with my art making. Upon looking they seem like random images of characters and upon researching, they actually have a strong reference. They are autobiographical portraits which has the intention to represent his roots as a Black-American artist. He states, “The black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings. I realized that I didn’t see many paintings with black people in them”.
Pink Eye (2019)
His heads series are filled with narratives of his experiences as an artist. His use of bold colors and the black heads as motif signify his identity, establishing his position as a Black American artist who is trying to validate his presence in the American art scene. Heads and faces can tell a story through their expression. I decided to use faces in the creation of masks. Even without a body, the face can signify personality, an identity, a behaviour, an emotion. There is something universally relatable about the face. Various cultures have different ways of presenting the face, be it a mask, a portrait or a caricature. People can relate to the image and the narratives they hold.
These tears, they tell their own stories (2019)
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Bibichun b. 1983, Malaysia
Bibichun selfportrait 113 x 70 x 10 cm Acrylic Paint on Found Objects and Wood Assemblage 2020
We didn’t have much to say, he was high all the time. I ask him if I can make a sculpture out of his paintings, he didn’t respond so I did it anyway.
我们不多话说，他终是氦氦。我问他可 以偷用他的作品来自招立体模型吗？ 他也没回答。 9
Chang Chiung-Fang 張瓊方 b. 1984, Taiwan
Chang Chiung-Fang 張瓊方 I Own You, In Me 在我之中開 始有了你 91 x 116.5 cm Acrylic, Crayon and Oil on Canvas 2016
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work are like beautiful fireworks; like shooting stars at night, a night illuminated by life. Jean-Michel and his works stay in our hearts. Basquiat’s artworks are bold and unrestrained. They expose rushing lines and a lot of text and images that are used to add notes that paint us a big adventure. His themes show a wealth of personal emotions through strong lines and blocks repeatedly crossed and overlapped; and his personal graphics representing himself appear persistently, as if shouting: “HEY!! I AM HERE!!” The images, words and phrases he saw in his physical environment had become part of his art expression. He consistently grasped the floating light and shadows around him, saw the soul of things, and used a more powerful way to let others perceive the object of his attention as well as himself.
Chang Chiung-Fang 張瓊方 Gift 禮物 53 x 45.5 cm Acrylic, Crayon and Oil on Canvas 2016
Before getting to know Basquiat, while creating my artwork, I used to focus on how to make one painting that could reveal my real interests. But after I watched his documentary and understood more about him, I realized that I should have started the other way around, meaning, by understanding myself. Observing from my daily activities and where I was motivated me back then, and keeps inspiring me now. The source of inspiration for worthy artwork is actually around us, the shape, the story, the color and everything one needs. It is like a silent stage play, directly taking my feelings, my emotions, and parallelly living in another world through my creation of symbols where I face myself more honestly.
尚─米契‧巴斯奇亞（Jean─Michel Basquiat）像是夜晚美麗的煙火，像是夜晚的彗星，用生命照亮的黑夜，留在我們的心中。 巴斯奇亞的作品，色調大膽奔放，線條急促，用許多大量的文字跟圖像來去做附記，像是一場大冒險。主題的表現散發著豐富的個人情 感，生命般強烈的線條和塊面作交叉的重覆塗抹覆蓋，個人的記號重複的出現，像是在大聲的吶喊。HEY!! I AM HERE 在環境所看見的圖像文字對話都成為畫作的一部分作，他總是以抓住自己身邊的浮光掠影，看見事物的靈魂所在，用更強而有力的方式在 讓大家看見也看見自己 在認識巴斯奇亞前，在創作時我時常思考的不是自己所感興趣的事物，而是怎麼畫才是好作品，在看過他的紀錄片與作品研究時，才了解 到要先做自己，從生活上觀察，我在哪裡，給我很大的啟發，好的作品的靈感來源其實就在邊，必須將生活溶入創作裡，像是一個無聲的 舞台劇，直接地將我的感受，我的情緒，透過創作，在生活在另外一個世界，更誠實的面對自己。
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Dedy Sufriadi b. 1976, Indonesia
Lukisan Mr Q. adalah lukisan wajah Basquiat yg telah di modifikasi sesuai dengan versi saya.. Basquiat adalah pelukis yang sangat piawai dalam membuat ekspresi wajah pada setiap lukisannya... banyak pelukis yang meniru gaya lukisan wajah dari basquiat, tapi sedikit sekali pelukis, melukis melukiskan wajah basquiat sesuai dengan versinya masing masih. Kita melihat puluhan lukisan yg memparodikan wajah monalisa, van gogh, atau pun Warhol. Tapi sangat jarang kita melihat lukisan wajah Basquiat.
Mr Q. is a painting of Basquiat’s portrait modified to suit my style… Basquiat was a painter who expertly depicted facial expressions in each of his works… many painters have copied Basquiat’s style, but very few who have depicted Basquiat’s portrait in their own style. We see many paintings parodying portraitures of Mona Lisa, van Gogh, or even Warhol. But seldom do we see Basquiat’s portrait painted.
Dedy Sufriadi MR. Q 100 x 100 cm Acrylic, Marker, Oil Stick, Pencil and Spray Paint on Canvas 2020
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Haris Rashid b. 1992, Malaysia
My conversations with Basquiat began when I searched for similarities between us. I am no art genius like him. But I am now at his age when he passed and 27 seems to be a pivotal point in life for a lot of people. Through my knowledge of numerology, I connect with Basquiat. Of Glory and youth and of Life and death.
Haris Rashid Star Boy 102 x 48 cm Acrylic on Wood Board 2020
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Jaime Pacena II b. 1980, Philippines
Jaime Pacena II Flowers for the Bedside Table 3 41 x 32 cm Oil on Paper 2020
These works represent a conversation with Basquiat in relation to his work “Gravestone” (1987) and in response to the global pandemic today. The Gestural strokes suggests more of Basquiat’s influence to me as an artist that includes subtle scribbles of overlaying of paints to create the form. That these works are more than the idea of a still life or a flower in a vase but rather seen as a stillness in life.
Ang mga gawang ito ay halaw sa obra ni Basquiat na “Gravestone” (1987) at isang reaksiyon sa nagaganap na “global pandemic” ngayon. Ang mga pahid ay nagpapakita ng impluwensiya ni Basquiat sa akin at sa aking mga gawa. Kasama dito ang mga nakatagong pahid at galaw ng patung-patong na mga pintura upang bumuo ng hugis o porma. Ang mga gawang ito ay higit pa sa ideya ng imahe ng bulaklak na nasa paso bagkus ito ay higit na nagpapakita ng katahimikan sa buhay natin ngayon.
Jaime Pacena II Flowers for the Bedside Table 4 41 x 32 cm Oil on Paper 2020
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Oky Antonius b. 1994, Indonesia
Pengalaman adalah suatu hal yang penting dalam kehidupan, dari pengalaman kita bisa belajar banyak hal untuk kelangsungan hidup yang lebih baik. Pengalaman juga melahirkan banyak ide dan imajinasi menarik, yang dapat dituangkan dalam bentuk visual karya sebagai media ekpresi agar ingatan memori dalam hidup tetap terjaga dengan baik.
Experience is an important element in life, from which we can learn much to live a better life. Experience also leads to the genesis of many ideas and spurs us to imagine interesting things, which are poured into the form of visual works as a medium of expression so that memories of our life are properly maintained.
Oky Antonius Sweet Moment 150 x 120 cm Acrylic on Canvas 2020
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Rangga A Putra b. 1995, Indonesia The attraction of art-making is similar to that of a playground, where there is no fear of breaking anything we are able to see in plain sight, honing the dexterity of creating a composition as if it enters our memory of an image, processing ideas through personal situations as inspiration for work. An artwork dominated by texture is akin to “layers of time”, remembering old memories layer by layer then scraping them off; making incisions all the way down to the background like recalling a situation in the past, despite this still unable to return to the initial process; the wider the variety of materials used, the more possibilities present themselves.
Rangga A Putra 2 Torso and Twenty 120 x 120 cm Acrylic, Bitumen and Carpaint on Canvas 2020
Ketertarikan berkarya sama hal nya dengan Ruang bermain, dengan begitu tak ada ketakutan untuk merusak apa saja yang dilihat secara laungung maupun kasat mata, mengasah ketangkasan memainkan komposisi seakan masuk kedalam ingatan imaji, mengolah gagasan lewat situasi personal sebagai inspirasi dalam berkarya. Dengan karya yang dominan akan tekstur sama halnya “lapisan waktu” dengan mengingat ingatan sebelumnya dengan lapisan demi lapisan kemudian di keruk sama halnya mengingat masa lalu, dengan menoreh tekstur kembali ke background seperti mengingat situasi sebelumnya akan tetapi tidak dapat kembali sutuhnya ke proses awal, lalu berbagai macam bahan digunakan dengan begitu akan banyak kemungkinan untuk bermain di dalamnya.
Rangga A Putra Feel As A Bird 120 x 120 cm Acrylic, Bitumen and Carpaint on Canvas 2020
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Rekha Menon b. 1976, Malaysia
Rekha Menon Box of Chocolates 76 x 61 cm Acrylic, Ink and Digital on Canvas 2020
Hasil karya ini memberi penghormatan kepada artis seniman Jean-Michel Basquiat yang telah meninggalkan dunia ini terlalu awal. Lukisan ini membawa semua yang melihatnya untuk merenungkan betapa rapuhnya kehidupan ini dan justeru kita perlu jalani setiap saat hidup ini dengan penuh makna dan berpegang teguh kepada kepercayaan yang setiap daripada kita di dunia ini sesungguhnya adalah satu anugerah yang unik dan istimewa. This piece is a tribute to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who left this world too soon. The painting contemplates the fragility of life and urges us to live every moment to the fullest and embrace ourselves as the unique gift that we are.
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Rizal Hasan b. 1992, Indonesia
“Restructured” menceritakan mengenai imajinasi saya yang mencoba untuk merekreasikan, mengimajinasikan kembali, membentuk ulang ikon dari Basquiat yang paling banyak dikenal oleh public, yaitu ikon mahkota. Jadi saya mencoba untuk melukiskan kembali mahkota milik Basquiat menggunakan imajinasi dari ide dan pemikiran saya,lalu membentuk karakterkarakter hasil deformasi dari ikon mahkota milik Basquiat dalam karya saya.
“Restructured” tells about my imagination trying to re-create, re-imagine, and re-shape Basquiat’s most famous icon/logo: the crown itself. So I decided to paint Basquiat’s crown icon using my own imagination and having it evolve into my own character forms in this painting.
Rizal Hasan Restructured 80 x 100 cm Acrylic, Decorfin and Metallic Pen on Canvas 2020
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Ronald Caringal b. 1980, Philippines Basquiat was social media before there was social media. He was street art and fine art at its finest. He was a beast that didn’t need hype. He soaked up life, the streets, the good and the worst and plastered it on walls, street corners, paper, wood, canvas and in front of every possible set of eyes. He was both thoughtful and thoughtless, careful and careless. His works happen and they happen for every reason he could find. He was an influencer way before it became a thing. He was pop art, literature, social consciousness, reckless abandon and human history in crude, often times chaotic yet definitive set of lines, fiery colors and sheer ruthless intelligence. He was the adrenaline rush that the art world needed then and the type of artist the world needs now.
Ronald Caringal Samoldshitsamoldhits 1 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in.) Oil on Canvas 2020
Si Basquiat ay ang “social media” bago pa ang “social media”. Siya ang pinakamataas na uri ng “street art” at “fine art”. Hindi niya kinailangan ng hype para mapansin. Tinanggap niya ang lahat sa buhay, ang maganda, ang masama at inilagay niya ang mga iyon sa kalsada, sa papel, sa kahoy, sa canvas at sa lahat ng mata ng mga tao. Ang mga gawa nya ay pinag-isipang mabuti ngunit malaya din sa kahon ng pag-iisip. Ang mga obra nya ay ginagawa at nagaganap ng may rason na galling sa pagsasaliksik. Siya ay maituturing na “influencer” bago pa nagkaroon nito. Ang gawa nya ay “Pop Art”, literatura, kamalayang sosyal, kawalan nang kontrol at kasaysayan ng tao. Ipinakita nya ito sa magaspang, magulo ngunit may katiyakang mga linya, umaapoy na mga kulay at walang katulad na katalinuhan. Siya ang “adrenaline rush” o gising na kailangan ng mundo ng art ng panahon niya at siya ang halimbawa ng “artist” na kailangan natin ngayon.
Ronald Caringal Samoldshitsamoldhits 2 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in.) Oil on Canvas 2020
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Suanjaya Kencut b. 1994, Indonesia
Suanjaya Kencut Power of Flowers: Fusion 120 x 80 cm Acrylic on Canvas 2020
Kehidupan itu misteri dan sangat misteri, kita tidak tahu akan apa yang terjadi kedepannya, hanya bisa terus berjalan dan mengikuti alur kehidupan seperti pohon yang tumbuh. Karya ini menceritakan bagaimana manusia hidup dengan penuh perjuangan hingga sampai diatas dan menjadi sorotan Life is a mystery, indeed very mysterious; we don’t know what will happen in the future, we are only able to traverse life following its path much like how a tree grows. This work symbolizes the struggles in human life, striving forward until we rise above it all and find our place in the spotlight. and youth and of Life and death.
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Syahbandi Samat b. 1992, Malaysia
Syahbandi Samat Perbualan Dengan Diri Sendiri 90 x 60 cm Collage and Pastel on Canvas 2018
My familiarity with Basquiat is for his very spontaneous style of drawing and painting. I’m not a big fan of abstract but somehow Basquiat’s thinking and style of art-making caught my attention. I love his freedom to express his feelings through his work. For me, I’ve been using the ballpoint pen and it’s a very fine and controlled medium, suitable for my style, and I love it. Still, there are certain feelings I can’t express using this fine medium. But I can express these with pastel and charcoal. It brings out a different part of me. I can be a lot more spontaneous, unlike with my more well-known medium. Basquiat is an artist who inspires me a lot, especially in the way of thinking, using materials readily available around you, and expressing things that happen around you into works of art.
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Conversation With Basquiat a short essay
Had he not died in 1988 of a drug-overdose, Jean-Michel Basquiat would have celebrated his 60th birthday in December this year. But what is it about the neo expressionist artworks this New York artist produced that made his contribution to visual art important? And why does Basquiat remain today, 32 years after his untimely death, an inspiration to aspiring artists the world over? Conversation with Basquiat is more than just a tribute to this noteworthy artist. It delves deeper to discover the essentialities that the artist’s works conveyed. From the 2005 monograph on the artist, art critic and historian Fred Hoffman hypothesized that at the core of Basquiat’s art was his “innate capacity to function as something like an oracle, distilling his perceptions of the outside world down to their essence and, in turn, projecting them outward through his creative acts.”1 Historically, New York City has been at the epicenter of cultural development, often touted as the cultural capital of the world, and the city in the 1970s and 80s was no exception. Urban cultural movements were alive and thriving, be it punk, hip-hop, street fashion, graffiti; it is within this rich urban cultural backdrop that Basquiat grew up in. Some might argue that the influences behind Basquiat’s works lie in an era and geography that is distant to Asia in the 21st century – so why does the influence of this artist persist to this day, in this part of the world? And why is his art still relevant in 2020? Arguably, an important part of Basquiat’s enduring appeal is the artist’s rags-to-riches-to-burnout life story. From being banished from home at 17 by his father, to his death a decade later, Basquiat’s meteoric rise to fame within such a short span of time can only be described as phenomenal. And as Eleanor Nairne2 explains, Basquiat’s life is very closely intertwined with the art he produced. Basquiat channeled much of his experience back into his work, which is one reason why his life is an integral part of understanding who he was as an artist. When he references Charlie Parker, for instance, he is likely thinking of their shared experience of the burdens of celebrity, the persistence of racism, and the difficulties of breaking with tradition — whether they are jazz standards or conventions of painting — as well as their trials with addiction.3 Another reason, we dare postulate, is that much of the experiential aspects of what Basquiat expressed in his works remain relevant issues to this day. Among these enduring issues: class divide, inequality, racism, and social power structures. Not just that, but the rawness and unpretentious visceral quality of how these notions are expressed in his art are still ‘fresh’ by today’s standards, hence very much resonate.
Conversation with Basquiat brings together the talents of fifteen young and emerging artists from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan, namely Dedy Sufriadi, Oky Antonius, Rangga A. Putra, Rizal Hasan, and Suanjaya Kencut from Indonesia; Ajim Juxta, Bibichun, Haris Rashid, Rekha Menon, and Syahbandi Samat from Malaysia; Angelo Magno, Dennis Bato, Jaime Pacena II, and Ronald Caringal from the Philippines; and Chang Chiung-Fang from Taiwan. There isn’t one single common denominator that connects Basquiat to each of them; Basquiat is an important influence for different reasons. For some it is the visual language and style, for others the ability to creatively express their thoughts about what is happening around them, or even the daringness of challenging convention. Suffice it to say, Basquiat has touched each and every one of these artists. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s legacy is undeniable, as is the global reach this legacy has attained. Perhaps what his friend and fellow artist Keith Haring said during Basquiat’s memorial service encapsulates the mystique and appeal. He truly created a lifetime of works in ten years. Greedily, we wonder what else he might have created, what masterpieces we have been cheated out of by his death, but the fact is that he has created enough work to intrigue generations to come. Only now will people begin to understand the magnitude of his contribution.4 What Haring said back in 1988 continues to be true 32 years later. In particular, the intrigue surrounding Basquiat and his work, whose endurance alone is testament to its magnitude. Artnet News, in an article rounding up their 2017 survey of the world’s leading art professionals, prominently listed Basquiat as one of the 20th century’s most influential artists5. Young artists the world over continue to discover the tragic genius’ career and artworks, and more amazingly, continue to be enthralled. We can say with some level of certainty that each of the fifteen participating artists would jump at the opportunity to meet Jean-Michel Basquiat face to face. To have a proper chat; to delve deep into the mind of their art icon. Instead, the fifteen artists have done the only thing possible to do today, and that is to pay tribute, each in their unique way, to an artist whose short decade-long career played a part in shaping the trajectory of contemporary art. When it comes to Basquiat, this exhibition is but one of the multitudes of visual conversations that have been ongoing long after his demise. And these conversations, we suspect, shall continue for some time to come.
Endnotes: 1 2 3 4 5
Hoffman, Fred. (2005) The Defining Years: Notes on Five Key Works from the book Basquiat. Mayer, Marc (ed.). Merrell Publishers in association with the Brooklyn Museum, ISBN 1-85894-287-X, pp. 129–139 Eleanor Nairne is the curator for “Boom For Real”, the Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective exhibition held in 2017 at London’s Barbican Centre, the first major exhibition of the artist’s work in the UK. Jack Stanley, 2017, ‘Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Art Is Still Re-Defining Culture’, Hypebeast, September 20 2017, https://hypebeast.com/2017/9/jean-michel-basquiat-boom-for-real-al-diaz-interview, accessed on July 25 2020. Haring, Keith (September 29, 2020), ‘Haring-isms’, Princeton University Press, p. 103, ISBN 978-0-691-20985-2 Artnet News (October 13, 2017), ‘Who Are the Most Influential Artists of the Last Century? 26 Industry Leaders Weigh In’, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/most-influential-artists-1093196, accessed on July 25 2020
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Artist Profiles Ajim Juxta
(b. 1983, Malaysia)
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, MARA University of Technology, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Better known in the art scene as Ajim Juxta, Raja Azeem Idzham is a young multitalented visual artist whose formal training is in architecture. After graduation Ajim worked as an architect for some three years, before coming to the realization that his true calling was visual art, a realization that eventually lead him to make the decision to become a full-time artist. His repertoire of works spans several mediums, including pen and ink, foundobject sculptures, and paintings on canvas. Like many architects-turned-artists, influences of architecture are apparent, particularly in Ajim’s use of lines and structures in his artworks.
Angelo Magno
(b. 1979, Philippines)
Master of Fine Arts, UP College of Fine Arts Bachelor in Art Studies, University of the Philippines in Diliman
Angelo Magno obtained his bachelor’s degree in Art Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, College of Arts and Letters in 2000 and finished his Master of Fine Arts from the UP College of Fine Arts in 2016. He formerly taught at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts, iAcademy and St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. He is currently the Assistant Executive Director of the School of Multimedia and Arts, Asia Pacific College in Magallanes, Makati
City. He is the Vice President of the Pinoy Printmakers (a national art organization formerly known as the Philippine Association of Printmakers; a resident art organization of the Cultural Center of the Philippines). His works have been exhibited in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, USA and Indonesia.
Bibichun
(b. 1983, Malaysia)
Self-taught artists
Bibichun is an artist who concerns himself with issues such as authorship, identity and what he construes as “public sites” within the context of George Town in Penang. Over the past few years, he had devised a few clandestine projects, as interventions towards existing mural works. He then studies the reactions and responses from the public, hoping to help him better understand these issues. Bibichun has participated in group shows and festivals around the world and was one of two artists featured in Dua Alam held at Artemis Art in 2019.
Chang Chiung-Fang 張瓊方
(b. 1984, Taiwan)
Polytechnic University of Valencia National Taiwan University of Arts Institute of Graphic Arts National Taiwan University of Arts Department of Fine Arts
Taipei-born Chang Chiung-Fang has exhibited extensively in her home country of Taiwan, most recently in a two-artist exhibition
with Indonesian artist Indra Dodi, held at Julia Gallery in Taipei. Her style of painting is expressive and embodies a free-spirited expression of life as it is experienced and observed. Through understanding herself better, Chiung-Fang is more able to express the ideas that she wishes to convey in her art, something she picked up from getting to know Basquiat operated as an artist.
Dedy Sufriadi
(b. 1976, Indonesia)
Masters of Fine Art, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta Bachelor of Fine Art, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta
An artist whom Artemis Art has been regularly showing over the past several years, Dedy Sufriadi is one of Indonesia’s leading abstract artists, and whose style embodies a deep philosophical understanding of the self and of the world around him. This deep understanding is felt through the artist’s expressive style of painting, Dedy’s thoughts and ideas emerging through his compositional and color usage skills. And more often than not, a sense of the humorous side to this artist never fails to emerge.
Dennis Bato
(b. 1989, Philippines)
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines Currently pursuing his Masters in Fine Art at the University of the Philippines
Another artist in the lineup whose background is architecture is Manila-based Dennis Bato. An analytical artist who channels his surrounding environment into his artworks. Dennis subjects his observations through a process of deconstruction and distillation, and what emerges as a result are crystalized ideas and thoughts, representing the essentialities of the sensory data he has acquired.
Haris Rashid
(b. 1992, Malaysia)
Diploma in Illustration, The One Academy, Malaysia
Art has been a part of Haris Rashid’s life from early on, and in his current practice continues to experiment with various media, not merely sticking to traditional works on canvas. Haris is known for his use of found objects in his artworks, both utilized in his paintings and installations, a characteristic that bears some commonality to Basquiat’s own art practice.
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Artist Profiles Jaime Pacena II
(b. 1980, Philippines)
Master of Fine Art, University of the Philippines, Diliman Bachelor of Art (Advertising Arts), University of Santo Tomas College of Fne Arts and Design
Jaime Pacena II is a multimedia artist, educator and curator who operates out of the Philippines. His many talents include being a video director for the advertising and music video industries, plus acting as mentor to an industry-based learning program and collaboration in Manila. He has exhibited quite extensively in the Philippines and has been involved with projects around Asia, including in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. His artistic practice involves not only producing art, but assisting other artists with his curatorial work as well.
Oky Antonius
(b. 1994, Indonesia)
Currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta
Originally from Sicincin in Western Sumatra, Oky Antonius is a young artist who is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta. Despite still in university, Oky is a very active member of the visual art scene in Jogja since his arrival in the city back in 2014, and was one of the participating artists in Artemis Art’s group exhibition Vice Versa 2.0 last year. His characteristic visual language has seen him consistently being selected to participate in the annual Bakaba series
of group exhibitions showcasing artists originally from West Sumatra, an indication of the potential many see in this young artist.
Rangga A Putra
(b. 1995, Indonesia)
Currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta
Another young artist Artemis Art featured in Vice Versa 2.0 is Rangga A Putra, originally from Sleman, a regency located just north of Yogyakarta city. His vivid abstract-based works on canvas are varied in style, often expressive, layered, and textured, occasionally with the inclusion of text and figurative elements presented in abstracted and minimalist fashion.
Rekha Menon
(b. 1976, Malaysia)
Self-taught artist
Rekha Menon is a self-taught Malaysian artist who became a full-time artist through a route very different from most, much of her adult life prior being in the field of branding and media relations. Her works generally exhibit a bright and colorful palette, adorned with a plethora of flowing lines, patterns, and shapes, symbolic of the many emotions and ideas drawn from her own imagination. Despite being a fairly new artist, Rekha’s determination and industriousness have seen her works showcased internationally, in addition to participating in exhibitions within Malaysia.
Rizal Hasan
(b. 1992, Indonesia)
Suanjaya Kencut
(b. 1994, Indonesia)
Currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta
Bachelor of Fine Art, Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Yogyakarta
Surreal and comic-styled figurations are the characteristics that define the visual style of young Indonesian artist Rizal Hasan, another artist whom Artemis Art featured in Vice Versa 2.0 last year. The artist originally from Gresik in East Java, currently resides in Yogyakarta.
Bali-born artist Suanjaya Kencut’s visual style is one that uses imagery based on colorful floppy cloth dolls, with fabrics vibrantly realistic in their appearance, to depict ideations and subjects the artist wishes to present to his audience.
Inspired by pop art iconography, Rizal’s works are an imaginative depiction of life, often with odd characters and disembodied heads merrily bobbing along in his surreal dreamscapes.
Ronald Caringal
(b. 1980, Philippines)
Bachelor of Art (Advertising Arts), University of Santo Tomas College of Fne Arts and Design
Manila-based Ronald Caringal has been described as the “Pop Art antithesis of a pop artist”, his art employing vivid color palettes used to depict familiar imagery yet carry a deeper undertone that defies what’s seen on the surface. The treatment he gives to popular cultural iconography can vary from darkly humorous to downright crude, but what the artist presents is a gritty aesthetic reflection of modern-day urban life. We can glean much that is familiar in Ronald’s works, forcing us to ponder and think exactly why we get that feeling of familiarity.
His works have been exhibited both in his home country Indonesia and internationally and is one of the promising talents from his peer group currently living and working out of Yogyakarta.
Syahbandi Samat
(b. 1992, Malaysia)
Self-taught artist
His use of the ordinary ballpoint pen has made Syahbandi Samat one of the more unique Malaysian artists currently practicing, and whose works are almost always instantly recognizable. Bandi (as he is known among friends) has been shown by Artemis Art since 2016 and has been featured fairly regularly in our art fair participations both domestically and abroad. For this exhibition, the artist takes a slightly different approach in presenting an artwork incorporating media that he does not often use.
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Acknowledgments Artemis Art takes this opportunity to thank all the participating artists for their contribution to helping make Conversation with Basquiat a reality. Our heartfelt gratitude also goes out to our friends at Julia Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan, and Vinyl On Vinyl Gallery, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, for their much appreciated assistance!
Project Manager & Conceptualization
U.C. Loh
Curatorial Direction
Artemis Art Photography
Participating Artists & Artemis Art Text
Participating Artists & Artemis Art Catalog Design & Layout
6is9DESIGNWERKZ
This eCatalog is produced and published online by Artemis Corporation Sdn Bhd. in conjunction with Conversation with Basquiat, part one of a two-part exhibition program honoring the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, an artist whose influence on the trajectory of contemporary art is significant, and would have celebrated his 60th birthday this year had he not passed away at the age of 27 in 1988. Basquiat’s silhoutte is derived from photographic material obtained via the artist’s Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat).
Artemis Art
Lot 21 & 22 Level G4 Publika Shopping Gallery, Block C5 Solaris Dutamas, No. 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia E: info@artemisartgallery.com T: +60 3-6211 1891 M: +60 12-373 2188 (UC Loh) +60 19-664 7088 (S. Jamal Al-Idrus)