Abdi Setiawan

Abdi Setiawan tertarik dengan kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat perkotaan Indonesia. Karya Abdi berbicara tentang kekerasan—karena terjadi hampir setiap saat dan dimana saja—yang telah dianggap sangat biasa oleh orang Indonesia. Setelah kehidupan pers menjadi lebih terbuka pasca-jatuhnya Soeharto pada 1998, koran dan televisi Indonesia juga dipenuhi laporan dan program-program kekerasan. Kekerasan yang ditampilkan begitu blak-blakan ini kini bahkan menjadi semacam hiburan rutin yang bisa dilihat kapan saja.

Abdi Setiawan lahir pada 1971 di Sicincin, Sumatera Barat. Dia belajar seni patung di Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta. Karya-karya patung Abdi umumnya bebentuk figur-figur manusia (life size) bermaterial kayu jati, dan kemudian dicat dengan warna-warna cerah. Selain di Indonesia, karya-karya Abdi juga telah dipamerkan di Singapura, Hongkong, Beijing, Taiwan, dan Belanda sejak tahun 2001. Pameran dia yang terdekat berjudul “Higher Ground” (Amsterdam, November 2009).

Abdi Setiawan

Abdi Setiawan’s work is concerned with the day-to-day realites of city-dwelling Indonesians. In paticular, he explores the culture of violence that now characterises major cities. Graphic depictions of violence in the media have become increasingly common in the more open post-Suharto era to the point where violence has been normailised and become a form of entertainment. For the Yogyakarta gathering Abdi will create a sculptural installation that questions the acceptance of violence as an inevitable part of city life.

Abdi Setiawan was born in 1971 in Sincinan, West Sumatra. He studied sculpture at the Indonesian Art Institute, Yogyakarta. Adbi’s work is installation-based, and features life-size wood sculptures of everyday Indonesians in various social settings.  Apart from Indonesia, Abdi has also exhibited his work in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Taiwan, and most recently as part of ‘Higher Gound’ in The Netherlands (2009).