Ade Darmawan

Photo by Maruto Ardi

Ade Darmawan (b. 1974, Jakarta, Indonesia) lives and works in Jakarta as an artist, curator and director of ruangrupa. Darmawan’s work deals with Indonesia, its history and its people, with a particular focus on minor histories that may seem irrelevant but are intrinsic to the DNA of the communities addressed. His presentation of these narratives assumes multiple forms, ranging from installation, objects, drawing, digital print, and video.

Darmawan studied at Indonesia Art Institute (ISI) in the Graphic Arts Department. In 1998, a year after his first solo exhibition at the Cemeti Contemporary Art Gallery, Yogyakarta (now Cemeti – Institute for Art and Society), he stayed in Amsterdam to attend a two-year residency at the Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten.

Darmawan has shown widely as an artist in various notable institutions around the globe. Recent solo exhibitions include Doing Business with the Dutch at Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2018) and Magic Centre, held both at Portikus, Frankfurt, Germany (2015) and Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands (2016). Selected group exhibitions include Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale: After Rain, Saudi Arabia (2024), Indonesia Bertutur at Borobudur, Indonesia (2022), On the Nature of Botanical Gardens at Framer Framed, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2020), Singapore Biennale: An Atlas of Mirrors, Singapore (2016), Gwangju Biennale: The Eight Climate (What Does Art Do?), Gwangju, South Korea (2016), and The KUDA: The Untold Story of Indonesian Underground Music in the 70’s with ruangrupa at Asia Pacific Triennale, Brisbane, Australia (2012).

As a curator, he has contributed to Riverscapes IN FLUX at Goethe Institute Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam (2012), Media Art Kitchen (2013), Condition Report (2016), and 6th Asian Art Biennale: Negotiating the Future in Taiwan (2017-18). From 2006-09, he was a member of the Jakarta Arts Council, which led to his appointment as artistic director of Jakarta Biennale in 2009. He was the executive director of Jakarta Biennale during its 2013, 2015 and 2017 iterations. From early 2019-2022, with ruangrupa, he was part of the artistic team of documenta fifteen that took place in Kassel, Germany, 2022.

Profile picture and bio courtesy of ROH Projects.

Writings:

Boiling Point, Features, Artforum, Vol. 63, No. 3, NOVEMBER 2024