Handiwirman Saputra

(b. 1975, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia) 

Co-founder of the Jendela Art Group, Handiwirman Saputra is known for his transformation of mundane everyday materials into mediums of artistic exploration. Through his meticulous manipulation of cloth, human hair, corrugated roof sheets, and plastic wrap, he challenges perceptions of the ordinary, elevating the banal into something unexpectedly poetic. His works often evoke landscapes, figures, and organic forms, yet they resist direct metaphorical or symbolic associations, existing in a space between familiarity and abstraction.

Saputra redefines the still-life genre, pushing its boundaries through scale and composition. While his forms remain vaguely evocative of reality, they are never fully representational. His works oscillate between monumental and miniature, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationship with the materials he employs. By shifting perspectives, he grants significance to the overlooked, inviting others into his unique way of seeing the world. In contrast to the politically charged art produced during former Indonesian President Suharto’s regime, Saputra deliberately eschews overt socio-political commentary, instead embracing organic abstraction and a playful engagement with form.

A graduate of the Institut Seni Indonesia (The Indonesia Institute of the Arts) in Yogyakarta, Saputra has garnered international recognition, participating in significant exhibitions such as Everything You Can Imagine is Real #1 at Galerie Christian Hosp, Berlin; Contemporaneity: Contemporary Art in Indonesia at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai; Pleasure of Chaos – Inside New Indonesian Art at Primo Marella Gallery, Milan (2010); Re-Play #6 at Office For Contemporary Art (OFCA) International, Yogyakarta (2014); and Material Matters at Tolot/Heuristic Shinonome Gallery, Tokyo (2015).

Saputra currently lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.