Studio Kalahan was established in 2001 and continues to develop. Therefore, it is kind of ‘Studio in Progress.’
The name (Kalahan – to lose) was chosen to show that the studio does not want to “win” in art exploration. The studio building has been in existence since the Dutch colonial period and was used a Dutch police station in World War II. The main room consists of a living room, documentation room, library, and private room for Heri Dono’s contemplation.
In the other section, at the back of the main house, there is a painting and puppet exploration room. Behind it there are display rooms for art installation. In the backyard there is also an open space used to produce work. This studio is an exploration zone and aesthetic laboratory for art assessment discourse and aesthetic practices.
The system of study about contemporary Indonesian aesthetics and their relationship to traditional art can clearly be seen in the work of Heri Dono. His work, which is on display in the documentation room, is accompanied by further documentation, as well as artifacts found in the corners of the studio.
The people who routinely work in art production at the studio include Teguh Hanira (electronics and mechanics), Joko Cetak (3-dimensionion work for installation art), Mas Eko (studio assistant) and Pak Min who takes care of various other jobs.
Artists with work at this location:
Heri Dono (b. 1960, Jakarta) studied painting at Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta. Dono is mainly active as an installation artist and works with materials that come from varying places in the world. His style of mixing humorous comments on political and social problems in Indonesia in his work is often placed in the art form of new internationalism. His work is influenced by the life of the ordinary man and Indonesian cultural traditions such as wayang kulit or tau tau sculptures of the Toraja death cult in Sulawesi. He presented his work worldwide in a great number of solo and group exhibitions. In 1998 he won a Prince Claus Award granted by the Dutch Government. Heri lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Zhang Kexin & Margaret Zhang, Margaret Zhang is an independent curator, recently active on the stage of international art. Currently, she lives and works in Beijing and Bangkok. Zhang Kexin (b. 1957, Harbin) graduated from the art department of Harbin’s Pedagogical University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During the past nearly two decades, Zhang’s public image has been established as an outstanding artist with a distinctive style. Not only does he carry out various forms of art like installation, performance, digital imagery, painting, sculpture and new media, he also performs as a contemporary art critic and curator. Zhang has always been an active and influential figure on the Chinese, Southeast Asian and international art stage. Zhang Kexin lives and works in Beijing and Bangkok.
Wakilur Rahman (b.1961, Rangpur, Bangladesh) completed his BFA in 1981 from Dhaka Art College (presently the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka). He went on to acquire a MFA from Central Academy of Fine Arts, China. Wakilur has been addressing social issues through his artworks, especially painting and installation, since the early 1980s. Wakilur and some of his contemporaries formed a group called ‘Samay’ in the mid-80s. Samay documented social, cultural and various economic crises through their artworks. Since 1991 Wakilur participating in international fairs, biennals and triennals in Bangladesh; Bulgaria; Cuba; France; Germany; India; Japan; Macedonia; Norway; Poland; Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Wakilur lives and works in Berlin and Bangladesh.
Yunizar (b. 1971, Talawi, West Sumatra) graduated from Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta and is a founding member of the Jendela Art Group. Working primarily in acrylic and pencil, the empty spaces and simply rendered images populating his beautifully balanced compositions convey a uninhibited quality. Known for his highly textured surfaces, non-rhythmic lines and limited color palette, Yunizar’s open-ended narratives evoke a timeless, spiritual atmosphere. A recipient of the 1998 ‘Top 10′ Phillip Morris ASEAN Art Award, he has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Asia including Yunizar: Story, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong; Ground Zero, Lokanat Galleries, Yangon, Myanmar; Paperworks, Gajah Gallery, Singapore; Roadshow: Indonesia, Havana-Cuba, Singapore; and Intersection: Latin America and South East Asian Contemporary Art, Gajah Gallery, Singapore. Yunizar lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Alwin Reamillo (b.1964, Manila) graduated from College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines, with a degree in Painting, and began his career as a lecturer in visual arts at the Philippine High School for the Arts. After migrating to Australia in 1995 he became interested in the ideas of mobility, memory and exchange. His practice – ranging from painting, photography, collage and sculpture to mixed media installations, to performance and shadow puppetry – is fundamentally rooted in the notions of mobility, trans-cultural movement and collaboration. His use of mobile elements and crafts reflect his ideas around travel, migration and cultural identity. Alwin has participated in established international shows such as the Venice Biennale, as part of artist duo Reamillo and Juliet, 1995; Havana Biennale; Manila Contemporary, Makati City 2011; and others. Alwin lives and works in Fremantle, Australia and the Philippines.
Jumaldi Alfi (b. 1973, Lintau, Indonesia) graduated from Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta and is a founding member of the Kelompok Seni Rupa Jendela. His paintings are epitomized by emotive gestures and symbolism and have a complex and highly diverse style, marked by innovation, sophistication, skill and emotional depth. Through the chaos of lines, colors, and symbols, Alfi explores life, death, the spiritual, the supernatural, and the physical in a concrete, visual space. His work is exhibited across Asia and Europe and pivotal recent exhibition include Jumaldi Alfi’s Blackboard Paintings, Primo Marella Gallery (Milan); Life / Art # 101: Never Ending Lesson, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta; and The Collectors Show – Weight of History, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore. Alfi lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.