Oel Gustian Ernst

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About the artwork

Alongside the works of political activists such as the New Art Movement, Semsar and Taring Padi, the mainstream of Indonesian art has long had a strong line of abstract and abstract expressionist art. This art was a feature of the Bandung school based around the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and was promoted by the US as part of the Cold War struggle against leftist realism, once a hallmark of Yogyakarta’s art school (now Institut Seni Indonesia, ISI). Oel Gustian channes the abstract expressionism of his art styel through this work, that may also have significance to the small fishing towns of Indonesia where many iconic Indonesian artists began their journey.

About the artist

Born in 1973 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Oel Gustian paints abstract portraiture and scenes from day-to-day life in Indonesia. With a versatile palette ranging from strong emotive colours to the vibrant energy that embodies the raw nature of Indonesia artists, his works often carry strong political and social messages. His representative portraits often communicate full bodied personalities with simple facial gestures, using almost child-like strokes in unity with a complex melding of hues to create striking imagery that captivates the eye and speaks directly to the viewer's intellectual sensibilities.