Wimo Ambala Bayang

Wimo Ambala Bayang is a multidisciplinary artist and curator based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He graduated from the Photography Department at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Working across photography, video, objects, text, and performance, his practice offers distinct cultural perspectives–not with the intent to criticise, but to encourage reflection on behaviours and norms that appear to be permanently ingrained. Both historical and factual details, whether major or minor, are integral to his creative process.

Wimo is particularly interested in uncovering hidden perspectives in everyday life, encouraging the audience to reflect and to question all the small things that happen in our life. Through the lens of his camera, he plays with visual reality, combining the real visual view with imagined fantasy. HIs works often reveal layers of cultural nuance, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of the diversity within contemporary society.

In 2002, Wimo founded Ruang MES 56, an artist collective that collaborates with local communities and networks to manage a shared space functioning as a studio, educational centre, playground and a place to live in.This collective focuses on the development of photography and contemporary art crossing over with other disciplines in critical and contextual approaches.

Over the past decade, Wimo has participated in international artist residencies and exchanges in China, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania. Recent projects including co-curating the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival in Xiamen and collaborating with Ruang MES x Foam at the Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam. He explored new ideas, approaches and contexts related to the development of contemporary photography, influencing his decision to juxtapose photography with other art disciplines.

In 2021, he won the award for Best Indonesian Feature-Length Documentary 2021 at the Documentary Film Festival for The Enigma of HeDonism, a documentary he directed about Heri Dono, the most prominent Indonesian artist.