Tristian Koenig is delighted to announce a solo presentation of Uji Handoko ‘Hahan’ Eko Saputro at Dallas Art Fair.

The name Hahan, as the artist is affectionately known, is both a nick-name and strategy within the practice of Uji Handoko Eko Saputro. Drawing on Javanese mythology, comic-books, tattoo-culture and the ethos of DIY punk, the graphic work, paintings and sculptural pieces of Hahan knowingly articulate the complexities of being an emerging South-East Asian artist, as well as embodying a form of institutional critique of this position - its like an artworld double entendre. His practice resolutely makes mention of the machinations of 'the artworld' - curatorial culture, biennales, collectors and money. He willingly participates and critiques in his own objectification and marketability.

Hahan is part of the post-Suharto generation. Since the opening up of Indonesia in 1998, the country has experienced unprecedented and disproportionate growth – economic, cultural, social and political. Within this generational shift, new forms of discourse have emerged, different configurations of mobility have taken shape and the role of the artist has irrevocably changed. Embodied in a form that is legible to all, and employing topical subject matter, the iconography of Hahan both represents and refutes the new Indonesia.

Uji Handoko ‘Hahan’ Eko Saputro was born in Kebumen, Java, in 1983 and is based in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. His practice has recently risen to prominence as part of a loose affiliation of artists identified as the ‘Jogja Agro Pop’ movement, as well as the larger presence of contemporary Indonesian artists on the global stage. Recent exhibitions include solo presentations at Sydney Contemporary, Sydney (2013), ABC Contemporary, Berlin (2013) and The Graphite Dust and Indian Ink of Hahan, Equator Art Projects, Singapore (2012), which included a published monograph. Through participation in the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial (APT7), Hahan’s work is represented in the Collection of the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern, Brisbane, as well as private collections in Australia, South-East Asia and Europe. Dallas Art Fair is Hahan’s first project with Tristian Koenig.

*image (left)
courtesy of Tristian Koenig