Tomio Koyama Gallery Singapore is pleased to present an exhibition of recent drawings, paintings and woodblock prints by Muhamad ‘Ucup’ Yusuf.

Introduction

Muhamad ‘Ucup’ Yusuf creates art with the intention of contributing to a better life. He believes that art is a form of expression, documentation and education, through which a better future may be conceived. Yusuf’s work often narrates and comments on the realities of his surrounding - the Indonesian society. Exploring issues such as corruption, environmental damage, consumerism and social division, Yusuf creates his work through observation and with imagination.

About This Exhibition

BEHIND NEW WORLD ORDER features a body of recent works, a development from the artist’s exploration of social issues. “The new world has come,” says the artist. “Some people are happy with that - it is like a big dream for a better future - but in reality, majority are silent, confused, and do not understand.” Change is executed by the government and catalyzed by capitalists, simultaneously exploiting resources in the old world for the making of the new world. The artist also states: “I look at nature like a big school and every person is a teacher, and I’m student of imagination, studying artwork and skill to express my dream, my question and my discomfort.” The exhibition is a study to understand the new world order; stories, situations and perspectives are combined with imagination from Yusuf’s daily life.

Following his first solo exhibition in Singapore 4 years ago, Muhamad ‘Ucup’ Yusuf presents a wide variety of his rich work including recent drawings, paintings and woodblock prints.

Artist Biography

Muhamad ‘Ucup’ Yusuf (b. 1975, Lumajang, Indonesia) is an artist based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Yusuf graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Art (ISI) in 1995. In 2012, he was finalist for the Graphic Trienalle V, Indonesia, and Bandung Contemporary Art Award. His accolades include Mural Hikayat Indonesia at Museum Palace Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2009), and Best Painting in the “Reflections of an Era” exhibition, Fine Art Department ISI, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Museum Vredeburg Fort Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (1998). Yusuf has exhibited internationally in Asia, Australia, Europe, and USA, with three solo exhibitions in Indonesia and Singapore. In 2013, he exhibited in “Welcome To The Jungle” at Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan, and Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Japan. He is a founding member of the Indonesia artist-activist collective Taring Padi since 1998. Yusuf is in the permanent collection of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Palace Museum Yogyakarta, Queensland Art Gallery of Australia, and Singapore Art Museum, as well as private collections around the world.

Opening reception: Friday, 25 July 2014, 18:00 - 20:00

Artist talk: Saturday, 26 July 2014, 14:00 - 15:00