Nani Wijaya in her studio in Ubud, Bali
Metis Art is pleased to announce our representation of self-taught Indonesian painter Nani Wijaya alongside our long-term collaborator Jamie QQ Wu. Nani’s journey to art is one of transformation, quiet introspection and consistent learning. Born in Surabaya in 1978, Nani explores the persistence of memory, the contorting body from birth to death, and the shadows beyond human experience through her introspective, abstract paintings.
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Architecture) from Petra Christian University in 2000, she worked in design and later pursued photography, capturing family moments and urban life. In 2015, her self-published photo book documenting her grandfather’s suspected dementia was shortlisted in the PHOTOLUX Award in Lucca, Italy.
In 2020, Nani fully transitioned to painting after relocating to Bali. Working on unprimed, raw canvas with a charged mixed media concoction of limestone paste, charcoal and natural dyes, her gestural brushwork articulates a corporeal, powerful beauty where flesh and bones emerge from the artist’s fleeting memories. A voracious reader, her work references texts from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki to Charles Bukowski.
Nani Wijaya’s work has been exhibited at Ubud Open Studios (2022-2024), Bali, Indonesia; TERRA (2024), Burgundy, France; and Enter Eden: Nani Wijaya (2025), Singapore. Wijaya lives and works in Ubud, Bali in a semi-open home studio where her canvases are often exposed to the elements, causing a beautiful weathering that accentuates their viscerality.
Now featured in the fourth volume of Enter Eden, presented by Metis Art and Jamie QQ Wu, Nani’s paintings allow for a slower, emotive resonance to the bustle of Singapore Art Week. We welcome you once more into our garden space to unfold the layers of emotion and humanity embedded in Nani Wijaya’s distinctive body of work.
Private Tours
17 & 18 January 2025, 2-6PM, strictly by invite only.
Rendezvous Private Tour
17 January 2025, 6-7PM, strictly by invite only
Contact christina@metisart.co for private viewings from 17-22 January, 2025.