I Made Arya Palguna
I Made Arya Palguna
(b. 1976, Bali)
I Made Arya Palguna graduated from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Jogjakarta. The narratives in his works often take the form of humor, parody, critique, and commentary on the realities surrounding him. His artistic language draws heavily on icons and symbols of humans, animals, and plants, observed from his social environment. For him, the universe serves as an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Palguna’s visual style is defined by his strong, unrestrained lines and spontaneous strokes of paint or charcoal, moving freely as if trained like a morning jog. Through his use of naive visuals, the presence of human and animal figures often appears vague, blurred, and without boundaries. He invites viewers to contemplate the interconnected position of humans within a larger system—between subject and object, between humans and nature, and between modernity and tradition. His paintings compel us to value the realities of life more deeply. His works resemble collages that connect colors with one another, linking the small universe within ourselves—the microcosm—to the broader existence of the world as a complex macrocosm.
Palguna has participated in several artist residencies, including at Muong’s Cultural Museum in Vietnam and the Korea National Museum of Art in Seoul in 2012. He also took part in the Shanghai International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition in 2017 and the Ludvig International Symposium in Kendlimajor, Hungary, in both 2018 and 2019. His solo exhibitions include “The Isle of Bliss” at LVS Gallery, Seoul in 2012; “IF” at Sangkring Art Project, Yogyakarta in 2015; “Rehat” at The Meeting Room Art Café, Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2017; “Momentary Lapse” at Komaneka Gallery, Ubud in 2018; “Cheap Thrill” at Komaneka Gallery; and “Fragment of Desire” at Sika Gallery, Ubud, Bali in 2021.
Si Buta dan Si Tuli, 2025
200 x 150 cm
Acrylic on canvas
The current situation in Bali is undergoing significant transformation due to the rapid growth of tourism. While the island remains exotic on the surface, issues such as traffic congestion and chaotic urban development are increasingly evident. Local communities, along with their customs and traditions, are often reduced to passive observers—spectators of change happening around them.
This work draws on the metaphor of The Blind and The Deaf—able to see and hear, yet powerless to act. It reflects a sense of disconnection and helplessness experienced by Balinese people in the face of modernity, where tradition persists, but agency is fading.
Timeline
1992
Modern art painting, Senior High School of Art, Denpasar
1996
BA Visual Arts, Indonesia Institute of Art (ISI), Yogyakarta
2000 - 2015
“IF” , Sangkring Art Project, Yogyakarta (solo exhibition)
All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Tugu Kuntskring, Jakarta (solo exhibition)
The Isle of Bliss, LVS Gallery, Seoul (solo exhibition)
Avowal, Bentara Budaya Jogjakarta (solo exhibition)
Revelation, Tony Raka Art Gallery, Bali (solo exhibition)
Menggali Tulang, Tembi Contemporary Art, Jogja (solo exhibition)
Ritus Air, Sri Sasanti Jogjakarta (solo exhibition)
Atap Langit, Kiridesa Gallery, Singapore (solo exhibition)
Leaf, Kiridesa Gallery, Singapore (solo exhibition)
Fantasi Tak Berujung, Mondecor Gallery, Jakarta (solo exhibition)
Premature, Art Centre Denpasar, Bali (solo exhibition)
Anjing !!!, Bentara Budaya, Jogjakarta (solo exhibition)
Indonesia –Singapore, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta (group exhibition)
“ i “ Bentara Budaya, Yogyakarta (group exhibition)
Indonesian – Thai, Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta (group exhibition)
Thai – Indonesian, Chalerm Bhrakiat Gallery, Uttaradit, Thailand (group exhibition)
Asean Young Artists, Gallery Lexington, Busan, South Korea (group exhibition)
Water, Indonesia – Malaysia, Taksu, Kuala Lumpur (group exhibition)
Crafting Identity, Jakarta Cotemporary Ceramic Biennale #2, Jakarta (group exhibition)
Animaler, Graceful Arts Gallery, Oklahoma, USA (group exhibition)
Korean Tomorrow, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul (group exhibition)
FACO art festival, Seoul (group exhibition)
Dialogue II, Indonesia-Malaysia, Gaya Art Space, Bali (group exhibition)
On The Road, Chang-dong Art Studio, Seoul (group exhibition)
NOW ; Asia Contemporary Art, Uejiubo Art Museum, Seoul (group exhibition)
Changwon Asia Art Festival, Busan, South Korea (group exhibition)
We Art Together, Sasaran, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia (group exhibition)
Winter Sunny Side, Lotte Gallery, Seoul-Korea (group exhibition)
Dialogue, G13 Gallery, Malaysia (group exhibition)
ASYAAF with Gallery LVS, Seoul-Korea (group exhibition)
Asia Art Link, Philippines Cultural Centre, Manila (group exhibition)
The Object in Sculpture, Santrian Gallery, Bali (group exhibition)
Jogja Jamming, Biennale Jogja X, Jogjakarta (group exhibition)
M Gallery, Daegu, Korea (group exhibition)
Sanggar Dewata Indonesia Now, Tony Raka Art Gallery, Bali (group exhibition)
Lounching coffee set “Sweet Couple”, Gedaung Jakarta (group exhibition)
Nostalgia, Komaneka Gallery, Bali (group exhibition)
Young Arrow, Jogja Gallery, Jogjakarta (group exhibition)
Summit Bali Bienalle, ARMA Museum, Bali (group exhibition)
Nasi Campur, Taksu Gallery, Jakarta (group exhibition)
Thai – Indonesian, Uttaradit Rajabath University, Thailand (residency and workshop)
Nusantara, Balai Visual Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (residency and workshop)
Art under the Roof, Muong’s Cultural Museum Vietnam (residency and workshop)
Asia Pasifik Fellowship, Korea National Museum of Art, Seoul (residency and workshop)
We art Together, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia (residency and workshop)
2015 - 2025
Pop Up, Komaneka Gallery, Bali (solo exhibition)
While you are sitting,The Meeting Room Art Gallery, Thailand (solo exhibition)
Dua Musim, Jogja Gallery, Jogjakarta (solo exhibition)
Cheap Thrill, an art Living Gallery, Komaneka Gallery, Ubud, Bali (solo exhibition)
Fragment of Desires, Sika Gallery, Ubud (solo exhibition)
Momentary Lapse, Komaneka Gallery, Ubud, Bali (solo exhibition)
Rehat , The Meeting Room Art Café, Chiang Mai, Thailand (solo exhibition)
Bali Mega Rupa, Taman Budaya Bali (group exhibition)
Romantic True Color, Changwon Art Festival, Busan, South Korea (group exhibition)
Indonesia, The Land of Art, Apurva Kempinski, Bali (group exhibition)
SDI X SDI , Sangkring Artspace, Jogjakarta (group exhibition)
Tribute to Ipong, Katirin Art House, Jogjakarta (group exhibition)
12 printmaking, Sika Art Gallery, Ubud, Bali (group exhibition)
Prana, Indonesia – Malaysia (online exhibition), KL City Art Gallery,Kuala Lumpur (group exhibition)
Mending Fence ( online exhibition ), G13 Gallery, Malaysia (group exhibition)
Itinerant Iteration, Roberto Gallery, Manila (group exhibition)
Ortigas Art Festival, Estacia Mall, Manila (group exhibition)
Full Moon, Indonesia – South Korea, Sudakare Art Space, Bali (group exhibition)
The 16 th Gonju International Art Exhbition, Limlip Museum, Seoul (group exhibition)
Busan Art Fair, COEX Building Busan, South Korea (group exhibition)
Daejeon Art Show, Daejeon city, Seoul (group exhibition)
The 15 th Gonju International Art Exhbition, Limlip Museum, Seoul (group exhibition)
Ludvig International Symposium, Kendlimajor, Hungary (group exhibition)
Mother and Child, Nadine Fine Art Gallery, Malaysia (group exhibition)
Hanoi March Connecting 3, Vietnam (group exhibition)
Shanghai International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition, Shanghai (group exhibition)
The 14 th Gonju International Art Exhbition, Limlip Museum, Seoul (group exhibition)
Ricefield, Nadine Fine Art Gallery, Malaysia (group exhibition)
Seoul International Art Expo, Seoul (group exhibition)
Jalan Dua Pekan, Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta (group exhibition)
Mysticism in Landscape, Nadine Fine Art Gallery, Malaysia (group exhibition)
Lima x Lima, Indonesia - Philipine, Art Verite Gallery, Philipine (group exhibition)
You ; conversation, SDI#15, Bentara Budaya Jakarta (group exhibition)
Art Biennale of Taiwan & Indonesia, Licence Art Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan (group exhibition)
Singapore Art Fair, Suntec City, Singapore (group exhibition)
Ludvig International Symposium, Kendlimajor, Hungary (residency and workshop)
Ludvig International Symposium, Kendlimajor, Hungary (residency and workshop)
Hanoi March Connecting 3, International Art Exhibition and Workshop, Vietnam (residency and workshop)
Shanghai International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition and Workshop, Shanghai (residency and workshop)
KMUTNB 4 th International Art and Design Workshop, Petchaburi, Thailand (residency and workshop)
Ketam International Art Festival, Pulau Ketam, Malaysia (residency and workshop)
Awards
Big of Five Nokia Art Awards Asia Pasifik
Philip Morris Art awards finalist 1999 and 2000
Indofood Art Awards finalist 2002
Commissions art
Wayang Angkringan, performance art at Taman Budaya Jogjakarta
1001 Sangut, performance at Art Centre, Denpasar
Penjaga air , mural at Sri Sasanti Gallery, Jogjakarta
Samsara, performance at Sasaran, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Duel , mural at Sasaran, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Letter Ship from Indonesia, Pulau Ketam, Malaysia
Unity, collaboration performance art Indonesia - Philippine, Pulau Ketam, Malaysia