Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2013 | Page 82
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Explore | Art & Design
ART & DESIGN
Eko Nugroho
Lyon Biennale Mural
Giant Textile for Louis Vuitton
Rally: Contemporary Indonesian Art,
Jompet Kuswidananto and Eko Nugroho
at National Gallery of Victoria
Témoin Hybride installation exhibition
“Indonesia is my biggest inspiration,”
says Eko Nugroho, an internationally
known Indonesian contemporary artist
whose aesthetic style is rooted in his love
of comics and the culture of his
archipelago nation. This combination is
apparent in all of Eko’s works, which
implement traditional motifs like batik
and wayang often juxtaposed by robots,
monsters and spaceships. Always in search
of inspiration, this Yogyakarta-born artist
likes to spend his spare time reading
comic books and watching animated films
and comedy. His guiding principle is that
honesty, passion and focus should be the
centre of every artistic work.
“Indonesia adalah inspirasi terbesar
saya,” kata Eko Nugroho, seorang seniman
kontemporer yang telah dikenal di dunia
internasional. Terinspirasi dari
kecintaannya kepada komik dan juga
budaya Indonesia, karya seninya
menampilkan motif tradisional seperti
batik dan wayang yang dikombinasikan
dengan robot-robot dan pesawat luar
angkasa. Agar tidak kehilangan inspirasi,
seniman kelahiran Yogyakarta tersebut
gemar menghabiskan waktu luangnya
dengan membaca komik dan menonton
film animasi serta komedi. Dalam
berkesenian, prinsipnya adalah berkarya
dengan jujur, semangat dan fokus.
He was recently commissioned by
world-famous fashion house Louis Vuitton
to design Giant Textile, a 1.8m2 shawl, for
its autumn/winter 2013 scarf collection.
The final design, entitled Republik Tropis,
or Tropical Republic, explores social issues
in Indonesia and Indonesia’s natural
diversity, featuring fruits and vegetables,
including pineapples, dragon fruit and
cassava leaves, as well as coral reefs and sea
shells. “Indonesia is rich in culture, nature,
language, cuisine and tradition. Naturally,
creativity is also rich here because there is
so much to explore. I’m proud to be
surrounded by a wealth of diverse cultures,”
says Eko, a graduate of the Institute of the
Arts, Yogyakarta, and whose works have
been showcased across Europe and Asia.
Baru-baru ini Eko, bekerja sama dengan
brand ternama Louis Vuitton, mendesain
syal (yang direplika dalam bentangan kain
selebar 1,8 m) untuk koleksi musim gugur/
dingin 2013. Desainnya yang diberi judul
‘Republik Tropis’ atau Tropical Republic
merepresentasikan isu-isu sosial di Indonesia
dan juga keberagaman alam hayatinya,
menampilkan buah-buahan dan sayuran
seperti nanas, buah naga, daun singkong
dan terumbu karang. “Indonesia sangat kaya
akan ragam budaya, hayati, bahasa, makanan
dan tradisi. Dan inilah sumber kreativitas
yang bisa kita eksplorasi. “Saya bangga
dikelilingi kekayaan budaya yang beraneka,”
papar jebolan Institut Seni Indonesia
Yogyakarta yang hasil karyanya telah
banyak dipamerkan di Eropa dan Asia ini.