(b. 1987, Indonesia) creates vibrant, complex works that interrogate representations of Indonesia, its colonial past, the Eurocentrism of the art history canon, and his own commodified role as a painter. His work often references the legacy of colonial painting in Indonesia, including Mooi Indie (“beautiful Indies”) painting, which romanticised the landscape and its people under Dutch rule while erasing their struggles. Zico’s saturated colour palette, often dismissed as kampungan (vulgar), is a deliberate reclamation of local aesthetics. His practice treats painting as a site for decolonial thinking, challenging dominant narratives and foregrounding historically marginalised voices and forms. In recent works, he also reflects on his own liminal position as an artist, navigating the legacies of his predecessors and Indonesia’s colonial history. Zico is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and holds an MA and BFA from the Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia. He has exhibited extensively in Indonesia and internationally, including Australia, Italy, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Recent curated exhibitions include: A Tear in the Fabric , Regional Art Gallery in partnership with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Bathurst, Australia (2025); Where We Go When We Leave: Encounters Through Movement , VCA Artspace, Australia (2024); Our Colonial Heritage , Tropenmuseum, Netherlands (2022); On the Nature of Botanical Gardens , Framer Framed, Netherlands (2019); Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia , National Gallery of Australia, Australia (2019); and the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Australia (2018–2019). He was a finalist for The King’s School Art Prize (2024), the 2nd Bandung Contemporary Art Award (2012), the Soemardja Award (2012), and the Asia Award, Tokyo Design Week (2015). In 2015, Zico was awarded the Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur (Ministry of Education, Art and Culture, Austria) Residency, resulting in two solo exhibitions in Vienna. His works are held in private and public collections across Australia and internationally, including the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, National Gallery of Australia, Singapore Art Museum, Museum MACAN, Tumurun Museum, and Bega Valley Regional Gallery.
