Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW

STPI presents Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW, an exhibition that explores identity and belonging in a hyperconnected age defined by screens and constant visibility. One of Indonesia’s preeminent contemporary artists, Eko Nugroho (b. 1977, Yogyakarta) brings together the visual languages of street art, graffiti and comics with influences from traditional Indonesian art forms like shadow puppetry and batik. Through graphic renderings of masked figures and hybrid creatures, Eko balances playfulness with an urgency that speaks directly to our present moment, turning social observations into critical explorations of concealment, perception and shifting identities.

Drawing on Nugroho’s observations of Singapore’s highly connected, smartphone-driven culture, STRANGE MONSTER VIEW considers how our devices have become an extension of the self, shaping how we observe others and are observed in return. Several works build on his encounters in the vicinity of Robertson Quay as well as elements of the quintessential experience in Singapore: from watching National Day fireworks to sharing local cuisine with the STPI team.”My works are indeed largely inspired by everyday life, by what’s happening today. For me, artists represent their time, their era. An artist’s works are small notes that, in my opinion, are part of the journey of an event, history, and the events that occurred at the time the work was created.”— Eko NugrohoFollowing his first solo exhibition, We Are What We Mask (2013), this new body of work continues a decade-long collaboration with STPI, translating Nugroho’s bold, graphic language into print and paper while opening new material directions for his practice. Beyond the gallery, Nugroho will stage two major public activations, aligning with themes of community engagement that underpin his practice. For the first time, STPI’s façade will become a canvas for a commissioned large-scale outdoor mural by the artist. At Fort Canning MRT station, an artistic intervention featuring three of Eko’s STPI works brings his vivid imagery into the daily commute.Alongside the exhibition, STPI will present an artist talk and public programmes inspired by Eko’s practice, including mokulito and screenprinting classes and a street art-inspired double bill. Highlight pieces include WE WATCH BEHIND THE GRASS and WE AWARE, which evoke the unease of being observed; CHILI CRAB MASK and WE ARE REAL TOURIST, which explore identity as something performed and mediated; and WE CARE, WE SHARE and KEEP IN TOUCH BUT NOT TOUCH, which examine the contradictions of digital connection. Elsewhere, NOW EVERYONE IS LOST, TERALIENASI and HAPPY ALIEN NATION speak to alienation and reality fatigue in contemporary life.“STRANGE MONSTER VIEW captures the zeitgeist of our digital age, expanding on Eko’s longstanding enquiry into contemporary life and culture. Delving into new expressions of print and papermaking, the works mark a distinct evolution of Nugroho’s practice in both material and form, embodying the spirit of innovation that STPI fosters through its residency programme.” — Nathaniel Gaskell, Director of Exhibition Programming & Content Development, STPI