Anisa Abdullah, well-known in Malaysia for her paper collage on canvas works makes her Japan debut with Artemis Art in this year’s edition of the art fair.

A painter by training, Anisa discovered the art of paper collage quite early in her career. Her works are faithful depictions of everyday life, translated into meticulously executed paper collages, comprising thousands of paper fragments cut out from periodicals and printed matter.

Contemporary abstract artist Dedy Sufriadi has a wide repertoire of work and styles, encompassing the use of many different elements and mediums. The many disparate visual styles that can be found across his vast body of work can be tied together by one common trait – his mastery of color and composition. Dedy is perhaps best known for his work related to text, an element of modern life that humans are subject to at virtually every waking moment, whether realized or not.

His participation in this year’s edition of AFAF features his small figurative abstract works. In these works, Dedy distills essential characteristics from the figures that he depicts, minimalist in some respects but sometimes fairly expressive as well.

As an avid reader and one who spent close to a decade studying existentialist philosophy, Dedy’s art-making process is one that has been distilled from the artist’s reading of many classical and modern philosophers, particularly in the area of Existential Philosophy. Although this sense of philosophical depth is most discerned in his larger works, one cannot help but be drawn to the expressive purity derived from the existential wellspring that has become a big part of who the artist is as a person.

A more complete repertoire of Dedy’s works may be viewed on his artist profile page, including his text-related Hypertext series, one that he is perhaps best known for. 

DRIN is the moniker that young Filipino artist Aldrin Dave Basister goes by.

Combining illustration and surrealism, his artworks recollect the artist’s life story and memorable experiences, often set in a fantasy world of his creation.

Using bright and vivid colors that create an atmosphere of joy and wonder, his works evoke a certain childlike innocence that invites the viewer to contemplate their own experience and memories, juxtaposed against characters set in surreal and unusual settings, creating a kind of dialogue between the viewer and what is viewed.

Also making his Japan debut with us is Mnookin, an artist based in Kaohsiung, located within the southern region of Taiwan.

Inspired by classical children’s paintings, Mnookin’s artworks express the beauty of life seen through the artist’s eyes.

Although melancholic at first glance, Mnookin transforms various perceptions and emotions in life into stories told through his works.His works are a reminder that there is always something beautiful to observe in life, even though on the surface what is initially seen may appear bleak.

I Wayan Sarcita Yasa, or simply Sarcita for short is a young Bali-born artist currently pursuing his bachelor degree in Fine Art at the prestigious Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. As is quite typical of student artists from ISI, Sarcita has been active in the Jogja art scene for the past few years while pursuing his degree.

His works incorporate many fundamental elements of life, making them self-reflections expressed through the cartoonish surrealist pop style he applies to his art. What also sets his works apart from many other artist using similar styles is the color palette, predominantly monochrome with judiciously applied highlight colors.

The spatial feel exuding from his works almost informs us that the artist is very much exploring the limits of where his vision can take him and that there is a lot more to look forward to from the depths of his creative spirit.

His use of the ordinary ballpoint pen has made self-taught Malaysian artist Syahbandi Samat one of the more unique Malaysian artists currently practicing, and whose works are almost always instantly recognizable. His appearance at Art Fair Asia Fukuoka this year marks the artist’s Japan debut.

Syahbandi’s works delve deep into his own psyche, projecting his inner thoughts, experiences, and aspirations. Successfully breaking away from the need to “please” with his artistic creations, Syahbandi addresses issues that are important to him, such as corruption, the environment, and of course, introspective works dealing with his own life experiences. His use of visual metaphors and unique symbolism provides his artworks with an aura of intrigue, engaging the viewer to contemplate beyond what is obvious to the eye, imagery that is often construed as dark and macabre.

In addition to his ballpoint pen works, our presentation of Syahbandi’s art includes his “lollipop” sculpture, based on the artist’s earlier ballpoint pen artwork. In the past few years, Syahbandi has ventured into creating collectible art toys based on figures and subjects in his 2-dimensional works.

Visually articulating the dialectics of space, and delving into human psychological scarring and memories are among the ideas central to the body of work by Indonesian artist Taufik Ermas. He survived a near-death tragedy during the major 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake that caused his home to collapse, burying him alive for a short period of time before being rescued. This life-changing experience has become an important touchstone in his artistic career as he continues to deal with the trauma experienced more than a decade and a half ago.

Augmentation of canvas surfaces is a key feature in Taufik’s artworks, achieved either through his layer/contour technique, physical ridges (or its inverse, niches) created on the canvas surface without tearing through or cutting the canvas; or through physical canvas and frame modifications that create negative spaces within his visual narratives, better known as his Cut-Out series of works. Both styles of artwork have been included in our participation this time around.

Through his paintings on these augmented surfaces, Taufik’s works articulate the many philosophical and psychological nuances of human life. His expressions are the result of the artist’s keen observations, both in his immediate community and surroundings (including his own experiences), or of global events and phenomena.