Kemalezedine

Kemalezedine
(b. 1978, Yogyakarta)
 
Kemalezedine was born in 1978 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He pursued his formal education at the Faculty of Art and Design, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), from 1997 to 2004. His first solo exhibition took place in 2012 at S.14 in Bandung. Since then, he has actively participated in numerous national and international exhibitions.

A pivotal moment in his artistic practice occurred in 2012, when he relocated to Bali. There, together with a number of Balinese artist colleagues, he initiated a long-term project titled Neo-Pitamaha. This project centers on exploring the possibilities of traditional Balinese painting—particularly its drawing tendencies—to be recognized and interpreted as part of a contemporary art movement. Kemalezedine’s artistic focus lies in creating and investigating the realm of painting and drawing, especially within the evolving landscape of traditional Balinese visual culture.

As an artist, Kemal is never entirely comfortable remaining within a single creative phase. Instead, he continuously experiments with gestures and behaviors drawn from his observation of Balinese painting. Elements such as sigar, cawi, abur, and meditative drawing practices are among the aspects he integrates into autonomous works. The interrelation between his works is reflected in a distinctive artistic pattern that leans toward surrealism. He often deconstructs the structural form of a subject or object, allowing each work to embody the wildness and complexity of his thought process.

Since 2012, Kemalezedine has held no fewer than nine solo exhibitions. These include Kemalezedine: Epigraphic Landscape of Balinese Painting at Mizuma Gallery, Singapore, in 2024; Kemalezedine’s Rerajahan: Deconsecrated Mantra at Srisasanti Syndicate, Yogyakarta, in 2023; and Comparing Perspective at CG Artspace, Jakarta, in 2020. In 2021, he initiated the Lano Art Project, which engages with the discourse of post-tradition. This endeavor culminated in the opening of Lano Contemporary Art Gallery in early 2025, an extension of his earlier project, where he now serves as the founding director.