Artist Bio:
Ari Bayuaji, born in Indonesia in 1975, permanently relocated to Canada in 2005, where he pursued Fine Art at Concordia University from 2005 to 2010. Balancing his time between Montreal and Bali, Bayuaji is renowned for his art installations, skillfully incorporating found and ready-made objects from various parts of the world. This practice exposes him to diverse cultural mechanisms. An adept conveyer of daily life’s aspects, Bayuaji’s works often reveal the overlooked artistic value in everyday objects and places, exploring their societal roles. In nearly all his artworks, he consistently utilises found or old objects from across the globe as material and subject matter. While these objects may carry age, the resulting “content” as a work of art is entirely new, infused with emotion influenced by contemporary issues he aims to address.
Several of his pieces have been acquired by notable institutions, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (Canada), Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec (Canada), La Fondation Agnès B. in Paris (France), Coral Triangle Center of Bali (Indonesia), Precious Plastic of Bangkok (Thailand), and Danfoss (Denmark). Bayuaji’s work has also been showcased in various international solo exhibitions, such as Warin Lab Contemporary in Bangkok, Thailand (2022), The Esplanade Theatre on The Bay in Singapore (2014 and 2019), Nunu Fine Art in Taipei, Taiwan (2018, 2021), Parkhaus in Malkasten Düsseldorf (2018), Conseil des Arts de Montréal (2018), a collaboration with Agnes B. Fondation Paris in Ste-Alvere, France (2017), Kunsthal Rotterdam in The Netherlands (2017), and Redbase Foundation in Jogjakarta, Indonesia (2016).
Artist Statement:
“Weaving The Ocean began with the idea of replacing vanishing natural materials with new “natural” materials that can be found easily. Entwined with the roots, the plastic rope appeared almost to be like a naturally growing part of the trees. This discovery led me to use the plastic threads as material for weaving. Plastic is abundant in our environment these days that it has essentially now became a major element of the natural world. As an artist I have been inspired by the contemporary problems in our society. Weaving the Ocean is a great art project that created in the spirit of the culture and nature harmonious relationship.” – Ari Bayuaji
