Yunizar

(b. 1971, Talawi, West Sumatera, Indonesia)  

Yunizar earned his fine arts degree from the Institut Seni Indonesia (The Indonesia Institute of the Arts) in Yogyakarta—an institution of national pride at the heart of Indonesia’s artistic and cultural capital. During his studies, he co-founded Kelompok Seni Rupa Jendela, an art collective formed with five other Minang artists. At a time when the Indonesian art scene was inundated with socio-political themes following the 1998 Reformation and the fall of former President Suharto’s regime, KSR Jendela deliberately distanced itself from overtly political statements. Instead, the group served as a creative sanctuary, fostering artistic exchange, experimentation with form and material, and the development of distinct artistic sensibilities.

By the late 1990s, Yunizar’s work emerged as a refreshing departure from grand narratives and didactic messaging, shifting the focus towards the essence (rasa) of everyday life. His paintings, with their raw, childlike aesthetic and fantastical imagery, might initially appear naïve, yet they exude a deep, enigmatic presence. His early works from the 2000s often depicted haunting human figures rendered in dark, muddy hues—capturing the alienation of anonymous, fragmented psyches.

In the mid-2000s, Yunizar drew inspiration from street graffiti and vandalism found in bathroom stalls and urban corners, incorporating rhythmic, impressionistic scribbles into his paintings. This series, known as Coretan or “unreadable letters,” deliberately evades direct meaning, instead evoking a visceral, oral-tradition-like resonance—a nod to the storytelling heritage of the Minangkabau culture. Over the years, his motifs have evolved to further blur the boundaries between the real and the imaginary, featuring everything from domestic structures to mythical beings such as the Garuda, a symbol deeply embedded in Indonesia’s national identity.

In 2012, Yunizar made an unexpected foray into sculpture, bringing his whimsical, often surreal subjects to life in bronze—ranging from village gangsters to primordial creatures. Despite these dynamic transformations in his practice, a deep-seated trust in intuition remains central to his artistic philosophy, allowing him to extract poetry and power from the ordinary.

Yunizar’s work has garnered critical acclaim across Southeast Asia and beyond. In 2007, he held a solo exhibition at the National University of Singapore Museum (NUS). His works are part of major institutional collections, including the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), the Long Museum (Shanghai), and the Benesse Art Collection (Japan). In 2021, he was the only Southeast Asian artist selected to participate in Frieze Sculpture, London. In 2022, he launched his first book, New Perspectives. His recent exhibitions include his solo show New Perspectives at Gajah Gallery Jakarta and the group exhibition Big Bang: A Myth of Origins at Gajah Gallery Singapore.

Yunizar currently lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.