Restu Ratnaningtyas

Artist Bio

Restu Ratnaningtyas (1981, Tangerang) is an artist and illustrator who now works and lives in Yogyakarta with her child. Restu loves to explore various media, especially watercolor, paper, video, fabric, installation, and multimedia. Most of her works discuss events of everyday life. Her topics focus on small narratives as well as objects that are related to the balance of human lives.
Her solo shows include “Memento: privatization room” in Vivi Yip Art Room, Jakarta in 2008, “Tantrum” at Kedai Kebun Forum, Yogyakarta in 2016 and “Subsume” at Baik Art, Los Angeles in 2017. Restu has participated in international group exhibitions which include “mnemonikos: Art of Memory” in Bangkok, Thailand in 2013 and “The roving eye” at Istanbul, Turkey in 2014. She also exhibits her work at the Biennale Jogja XII, as well as the GOOD Art Residency exhibition at Van Every/Smith Gallery in North Carolina, USA.

Artist Statement

I like to incorporate mediums such as paper, and cloth. A lot of my paper works use watercolour because it has a transparent and natural look to the finished works. Lines and marks on watercolour works is honesty. We can clearly see mistakes, doubts and restlessness of the artist as they move the brush across the surface. Ironically these imperfect strokes are the ones that connect, fix and blend the work as a whole. For me paper is a simple and fragile material, although it is capable of anything and if processed in certain ways, it could be stronger than any other medium. The themes that I explore here are based on my personal experiences as I encounter identity, social and political issues.

SELECTED WORKS

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