SINGAPORE.- Singapore Art Museum is proud to present Masriadi: Black is My Last Weapon, the first solo exhibition of the renowned contemporary Indonesian artist I Nyoman Masriadi. This show forms part of SAM's exhibition programme in showcasing works of top modern and contemporary Southeast Asian artists, continuing from solo exhibitions of Affandi and Widayat in 2007. The exhibition features over 30 selected works from private collections in Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong, including early works from 1998 to his most recent 2008 works.

The exhibition, Masriadi: Black is My Last Weapon, desires to evoke and present a striking portrait of Masriadi the artist. The curatorial intent is to bring to the fore Masriadi’s thoughts and opinions on being an artist, whose career is inevitably tied to critics, collectors, and writers. The show is divided into four thematic sections: Hitam Adalah Senjata Terakhir Aku (Black Is My Last Weapon), Geli-Geli (Ticklish), Saya Yang Dapat! (I Got It!) and Memperjuangkan Lukisan (Fighting to Paint) and it has been designed to create a dynamic atmosphere which allows the works to interact with the exhibition space. At the heart of the exhibition are representative paintings that span the artist’s career. The artworks are accompanied with specially commissioned soundscapes, interactive flash games and a documentary video. The multi-layered gallery experience contributes to a deeper appreciation of what Masriadi does and it offers an exciting new dynamic to the presentation of his works.

Born in Bali in 1973, I Nyoman Masriadi is one of the most influential and acclaimed artists to have emerged from Southeast Asia in the last decade. Having studied at the Indonesian Institute of Art from 1993 to 1998, Masriadi focuses on the practice of painting and his distinction as an artist lies in his choice of medium. Instead of exploring new technologies or performance art like many of his contemporaries, Masriadi has continued to work within the traditional medium of painting. While his choice of medium may be conventional, Masriadi’s visual imageries and narratives are strongly influenced by aspects of modern society such as anime, cyber-gaming and comics.

Many of his paintings are also autobiographical to a varying extent. Underlined by a detached and objective daily observation of people, the art world and society at large, his visual vocabulary is always relevant, fresh and striking. Of his own work, Masriadi says, “One of my ways of saying something, is through my paintings. I want to speak about something, I want to tell something to people, to criticize. That’s my idea. I’ve always been doing that a lot, if I criticize somebody, if I am angry with somebody, I tell it through my paintings.”

Masriadi: Black is My Last Weapon opens to public on 22 August and ends on 9 November 2008.