Jumaadi

b. 1973, Indonesia

Jumaadi moved from East Java, Indonesia to Sydney in 1997 to study at the National Art School. He graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Art, and then again in 2008 with a Master of Fine Art. Before immigrating to Australia, from 1994 to 1995 Jumaadi was an Art Educator at the PPLH Environmental Education Centre in Seloliman, East Java (Indonesia).

Jumaadi has had 35 solo exhibitions since 1999. His survey exhibit Staging Love at Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG), was on display from December 2018 to March 2019. Jumaadi’s second major solo exhibition MY LOVE IS AN ISLAND FAR AWAY opened December 2019 and features a number of commissioned artworks of varying mediums.

Jumaadi is a multi-disciplinary artist working in medium ranging from small, poetic gouache on paper to large scale drawings which can exceed 3 x 20 metres. His paintings are mixed media [water, acrylic and oil etc.] executed on plywood, timber, cloth, canvas and buffalo hide. Jumaadi is also recognised for his sculptural works in wood and metal, as well as installation and performance work.

Jumaadi’s work is featured in numerous public collections both across Australia and internationally, namely the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Bathurst Regional Gallery, Bega Valley Regional Art Gallery, Halsey Institute South Carolina, USA, Macquarie Bank, National Art School, Sydney, National Gallery of Australia, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

Jumaadi’s ‘most typical subject matter’, is love (either romantic or familial) portrayed in varied forms. More often than not his work revolves around demons, spirits, and fanciful creatures; John McDonald notes ‘story-telling’ as intrinsic to Jumaadi’s ‘personal history and psyche’ (Catalogue Essay, An arm and a leg, 2018).

Jumaadi currently lives and works between Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Mosman, Sydney.