Artist Biography
Sunaryo Soetono (b. 1943, Banyumas, Indonesia, based in Bandung, Indonesia) explores notions of balance and stability, particularly how they relate to identity, heritage, emotion, and the relationships between humankind, nature and the spiritual realm. Through painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation and public monuments, he creates works that evoke a profound sense of unity even amid moments of tension and chaos.
Committed to grounding artistic vision in one’s cultural and environmental contexts, Soetono’s practice resisted the abstract and Modernist tendencies of the Bandung School in the 1970s. His long-standing desire to establish and elevate a uniquely Indonesian artistic language has led to works like Barong (2000), a painting of a mythological panther-like creature in Balinese folklore locked in an eternal conflict with a demon queen. Representing the battle between good and evil, Soetono’s vivid treatment of the Barong’s golden mane against the surrounding darkness suggests the glow of hope.
Soetono obtained his BFA in Sculpture from the Bandung Institute of Technology in 1969. Notable solo exhibitions include et cetera.. (2023), Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung; Lawangkala (2018), Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung; Titik Awal (2017), Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung; Aestuarium (2014), Equator Art Projects, Singapore; and A Stage of Metamorphosis (2001), CP Artspace, Washington, D.C.
Soetono had his residency at the STPI Workshop in 2007, resulting in the exhibition Poetry of Inner Dreams (2008).