Ari Bayuaji: The Old Soul | The New Universe
The Old Soul | The New Universe
Solo Exhibition by Ari Bayuaji
Curated by Hermanto Soerjanto
11 January – 16 March 2025
Vernissage: Saturday, 11 January 2025, 4pm – 7pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, 18 January 2025, 3pm – 5pm
Mizuma Gallery is pleased to announce The Old Soul | The New Universe, a solo exhibition by Ari Bayuaji, curated by Hermanto Soerjanto. The exhibition presents new works from the artist, from his mesmerising woven textiles to mixed media installations, made primarily using found or ready-made objects.
In an era where “art could be anything and anything could be art”, use of media and technique in art practice gives us the liberty to explore beyond the conventional. It has become not just a tool in manifesting ideas for artists, but rather they also have their own voice, identity, and statement.
Ari Bayuaji (Ari) is an artist who recognizes the media he uses beyond its functional nature, as he treats the media as part of his artistic language and ideology. In his series ‘Weaving the Ocean’, he worked hand in hand with the community in Sanur where their economy was heavily impacted by the pandemic. With the help of these local communities in Sanur, Ari collected plastic ropes discarded from ships and fishing boats along the Sanur beach, processed them into plastic strings and, with the help of Ibu Desak, a weaver who lost her job in a traditional textile shop along the street of Sanur, weaved the plastic strings into artworks. This entire artistic process and choice of media is Ari’s artistic statement in relation to social and economic issues, cultural and tradition issues, and of course, environmental issues. The beauty in the artistic process of Ari’s ‘Weaving the Ocean’ series goes beyond the beauty of the artworks.
In Ari’s work we can see how tradition, culture, and history collide naturally in a contemporary manner through the use of ready-made objects or materials. He uses the voice, identity, and statement of his media to narrate contemporary issues, and in a way, he shares the stage with the media he uses. His works have become a dialogue between him and the media or material that he chooses.
The Old Soul | The New Universe, a solo exhibition by Ari Bayuaji, will run from 11 January to 16 March 2025 at Mizuma Gallery, 22 Lock Road #01-34 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108939. The gallery will open from 11am-7pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 11am-6pm on Sundays. The gallery will be closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, 11 January 2025 from 4pm to 7pm. In conjunction with Singapore Art Week, an Artist Talk will be held on Saturday, 18 January 2025 from 3pm to 5pm. The exhibition, reception, and artist talk session are free and are open for public. To confirm your attendance, kindly RSVP at info@mizuma.sg. A digital publication featuring images of the artworks and a text by Hermanto Soerjanto will be available.
About the Artist
Ari Bayuaji (b. 1975, Mojokerto, Indonesia) graduated as a civil engineer and worked in Indonesia before deciding to move to Canada permanently in 2005. Once in Montreal, he studied Fine Arts at Concordia University from 2005 to 2010 and now divides his time between Montreal and Bali. The artist is known mainly for his art installations that incorporate the use of found and ready-made objects he collects from various parts of the world, thereby exposing himself to the different cultural traditions. He is an expert in conveying aspects of daily life within a culture as his works often expose the overlooked artistic value in everyday life expressed through objects and places and their roles within a society. Ari Bayuaji has taken part in numerous artist-in-residency programs in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Singapore. The artist’s work has been exhibited in major solo exhibitions in Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Ste-Alvère (France), Dusseldorf (Germany), Rotterdam and The Hague (The Netherlands), and Yogyakarta (Indonesia).
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The Old Soul | The New Universe
Solo Exhibition by Ari Bayuaji
Curated by Hermanto Soerjanto
11 January – 16 March 2025
Vernissage: Saturday, 11 January 2025, 4pm – 7pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, 18 January 2025, 3pm – 5pm
Mizuma Gallery is pleased to announce The Old Soul | The New Universe, a solo exhibition by Ari Bayuaji, curated by Hermanto Soerjanto. The exhibition presents new works from the artist, from his mesmerising woven textiles to mixed media installations, made primarily using found or ready-made objects.
In an era where “art could be anything and anything could be art”, use of media and technique in art practice gives us the liberty to explore beyond the conventional. It has become not just a tool in manifesting ideas for artists, but rather they also have their own voice, identity, and statement.
Ari Bayuaji (Ari) is an artist who recognizes the media he uses beyond its functional nature, as he treats the media as part of his artistic language and ideology. In his series ‘Weaving the Ocean’, he worked hand in hand with the community in Sanur where their economy was heavily impacted by the pandemic. With the help of these local communities in Sanur, Ari collected plastic ropes discarded from ships and fishing boats along the Sanur beach, processed them into plastic strings and, with the help of Ibu Desak, a weaver who lost her job in a traditional textile shop along the street of Sanur, weaved the plastic strings into artworks. This entire artistic process and choice of media is Ari’s artistic statement in relation to social and economic issues, cultural and tradition issues, and of course, environmental issues. The beauty in the artistic process of Ari’s ‘Weaving the Ocean’ series goes beyond the beauty of the artworks.
In Ari’s work we can see how tradition, culture, and history collide naturally in a contemporary manner through the use of ready-made objects or materials. He uses the voice, identity, and statement of his media to narrate contemporary issues, and in a way, he shares the stage with the media he uses. His works have become a dialogue between him and the media or material that he chooses.
The Old Soul | The New Universe, a solo exhibition by Ari Bayuaji, will run from 11 January to 16 March 2025 at Mizuma Gallery, 22 Lock Road #01-34 Gillman Barracks, Singapore 108939. The gallery will open from 11am-7pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 11am-6pm on Sundays. The gallery will be closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, 11 January 2025 from 4pm to 7pm. In conjunction with Singapore Art Week, an Artist Talk will be held on Saturday, 18 January 2025 from 3pm to 5pm. The exhibition, reception, and artist talk session are free and are open for public. To confirm your attendance, kindly RSVP at info@mizuma.sg. A digital publication featuring images of the artworks and a text by Hermanto Soerjanto will be available.
About the Artist
Ari Bayuaji (b. 1975, Mojokerto, Indonesia) graduated as a civil engineer and worked in Indonesia before deciding to move to Canada permanently in 2005. Once in Montreal, he studied Fine Arts at Concordia University from 2005 to 2010 and now divides his time between Montreal and Bali. The artist is known mainly for his art installations that incorporate the use of found and ready-made objects he collects from various parts of the world, thereby exposing himself to the different cultural traditions. He is an expert in conveying aspects of daily life within a culture as his works often expose the overlooked artistic value in everyday life expressed through objects and places and their roles within a society. Ari Bayuaji has taken part in numerous artist-in-residency programs in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Singapore. The artist’s work has been exhibited in major solo exhibitions in Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Ste-Alvère (France), Dusseldorf (Germany), Rotterdam and The Hague (The Netherlands), and Yogyakarta (Indonesia).
