Erizal As
(b. February 1979, Padang Panjang, Indonesia)
A renowned fi gure in Indonesian contemporary art, Erizal As has become a regular at regional art fairs and exhibitions. Working in a distinctive and poetic approach, he delves into abstraction as a medium for exploring -- and at times deconstructing -- Minangkabau identity and the human condition. For Erizal, abstraction embodies a language that is at once individual and unrestricted by any singular interpretation. His paintings are not merely visual representations but are layered studies of power, infl uence, and the complexities of the human persona.
His most recent Nature series expands on his continued exploration of the essence and harmony of nature, inspired by observations of his hometown Padang Panjang, and Yogyakarta, where he currently resides. Whereas his previous nature paintings engaged with the historical legacy of landscape painting in Indonesia, his new body of work expresses an abstraction of nature through a more playful and imaginative approach. Rooted in the Minang philosophy of Alam Takambang Jadi Guru ("Nature is an eternal teacher") and the immersive nature of plein air painting, Erizal strives to create boundless compositions that refl ect the interconnected essence of the natural world around him: from gestural lines that fl ow beyond the borders of the canvas, to textural layers of glossy, vibrant impasto, unexpected forms emerge with overfl owing vitality and evoke the sensitivities of visual form. Using diff erently shaped canvases, each painting in the series is a lesson Erizal receives from alam (nature) manifested into color and form, affi rming the process of artistic creation as an act of knowing in his search for an inner, authentic self.
A graduate of Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta, Erizal’s exhibitions include Darek #1: Bentang Alam (Plateau #1: Landscapes) at Gajah Gallery Jakarta, Formless Existence at Gajah Gallery Singapore, Bakaba #5 (Sakato Art Community), If Time Stopped (Group Exhibition at Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta), Reborn Every Time (Sangkring Art Space), and the Indonesian Contemporary Art Exhibition in Beijing. He lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Erizal currently lives and works in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
EDUCATION
1994 – 1997 High School of Fine Arts in Padang, Indonesia
1997 – 2006 Faculty of Fine Art, Indonesian Institute of Art, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Darek #1: Bentang Alam, Gajah Gallery Jakarta, Indonesia
2019 Formless Existence, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
Formless Existence, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2016 Refi guring Portraiture, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
2012 Visual Symphonies, Ganesha Gallery, Four Season Resort Jimbaran, Bali
Rhythm of Art, Philo Art Space, Jakarta, Indonesia
2007 Lines Project, Koong Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
2005 Problematika Sosial Sebagai Ide Penciptaan, ISI Yogyakarta, Indonesia
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Confabulations: A Fantasy of the Real, Gajah Gallery, Manila, Philippines Art Jakarta 2025, Gajah Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia
Guru Terkembang Jadi Bentuk, Sakato Art Community, OHD Museum,
Magelang, Indonesia
Nature, Everyday Life, and Glimpses of the Past, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, Gajah Gallery, Hongkong
Art Fair Philippines 2025, Gajah Gallery, Manila, Philippines
Art SG 2025, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
2024 Mantagi Art Exhibition, Sakato Art Community, Sarang Building, Indonesia
Art Dubai 2024, Gajah Gallery, United Arab Emirates
Art Fair Philippines 2024, Gajah Gallery, Philippines
Art SG 2024, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
2023 Beyond Borders, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Art Jakarta 2023, Gajah Gallery, Indonesia
Art Fair Philippines 2023, Gajah Gallery, Philippines
Art SG 2023, Gajah Gallery, Singapore
Art Moment Jakarta 2023, Gajah Gallery, Indonesia
Art Kyoto 2023, Gajah Gallery, Japan
Art Jakarta Garden 2023, Gajah Gallery, Indonesia
Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Gajah Gallery, Hong Kong
2022 New Beginnings: Grand Opening of Gajah Gallery Jakarta, Gajah Gallery
Jakarta, Indonesia
Reframing Roots, Gajah Gallery Singapore
Art Basel Hong Kong 2022, Gajah Gallery, Hong Kong
2021 TWENTYFIVE Yogyakarta, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta, Indonesia
TWENTYFIVE, Gajah Gallery Singapore
Art Basel Hong Kong 2021, Gajah Gallery, Hong Kong
2020 GG | ABHK 2020, Gajah Gallery Singapore
Genset, Gajah Gallery Singapore
2019 Monumenta: In Lightness, Gajah Gallery Singapore
GENSET, Whitebox Publika, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
BEBAS, Sakato Art Community, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2018 Landscape’s Legacies: Visualizing Alam Minangkabau, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Bakaba #7, Yogyakarta
2017 Gajah Gallery Open House, Gajah Gallery Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2016 Sapien Free, OHD Museum, Magelang, Indonesia
Bakaba #5 Cadiak Indak Mambuang Pandai, Sakato Art Community, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Yogyakarta Annual Art, Bale Banjar, Sangkring, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Group Exhibition, Yogyakarta Art lab, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Pameran Adu Domba, Erizal As dan Nyoman Adiana, Sangkring Art Project Yogyakarta, Indonesia
If Time Stopped, Gajah Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Bantul Art Summit, Gajah Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2015 Singapore Contemporary Art Show, Singapore
The Contemporary International Christmas Art Exhibition, Song Zhuang, China
China – Indonesia Contemporary Painting Exhibition, Beijing, China
Asia Contemporary Art Exhibition, Faith Art Gallery, Hong Kong
Asia Contemporary Art Show, Hong Kong
10th Anniversary Philo Art Space, Jakarta, Indonesia
BAKABA #4 Randang dan Rendang, Sakato art Community, Yogya Gallery, Indonesia
Gambar, Museum Dan Tanah Liat, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Reborn Everytime, Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Aff ordable Art Fair, Hongkong
2014 LOCAFORE’14, Bale Pare Hall, Kota Baru, Parahiyangan, Bandung, Indonesia
BAKABA #3 Kini, Jogja Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Untukmu Guru, Gallery Hj. Soewarni, Museum H.Widayat, Magelang, Indonesia
50:50, MJK Group, Nalarroepa, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
AWARDS
2013 Finalist UOB Painting Competition, Jakarta, Indonesia
2007 Top 20 in The Thousand Mysteries of Borobudur Art Competition
2006 Finalist at the Jakarta Art Awards, 2006 2003 Finalist at the Indonesian ASEAN Art Awards
Finalist at the Indofood Art Awards CP Open Biennale 2003: Interpellation
2000 Best Work at Dies Natalies XVI ISI Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Nominated top 10 Best at Selekda PEKSIMINAS VI, CP Open BIENNALE
1998 Finalist of the Philip Morris Art Awards V
1997 Top 10 Finalists, Lomba Keterampilan Siswa Tingkat Nasional, Jakarta Painting Contest, Lomba Lukis Wajah Pahlawan, Museum Aditiawarman, Sumatra Barat, Indonesia