Working across drawing, painting, sculpture, animation and embroidery, this acclaimed Indonesian artist draws inspiration from Javanese traditions such as wayang theatre and batik, as well as street art, science fiction, comic books and other forms of popular culture.

His immersive installation Lot lost 2013-15 takes us to the streets of Yogyakarta, the artistic and revolutionary capital of Indonesia where Nugroho has been based for the past two decades. The work presents a finely attuned, darkly humoured and – as always – wildly imaginative look at everyday life and politics in Indonesia.

Belonging to the generation of Indonesian contemporary artists that emerged during a period of great political upheaval and reform in the late 1990s, Nugroho is deeply engaged with his local community yet unabashed in his global outlook. Lot lost not only reflects the scope of Nugroho’s practice and his playful experimentation, but also his daring attitude towards rethinking Indonesian cultural identity within a contemporary context.

Accompanying the installation is a collection of zines that Nugroho has independently published since 2000 to provide an alternative, accessible platform for young artists and students to share their work. In the pages of the early zines, we are introduced to the unique imagery that now abounds in all aspects of Nugroho’s work.

Eko Nugroho – Lot lost Exhibition
Contemporary galleries – NGV Australia
5 June 2016 – January 2017
www.ngv.vic.gov.au

The paintings, and prints of the paintings, sold like hotcakes and Keane amassed a fortune as a result. There was a problem, though – the pictures were actually created by his wife Margaret. A patron of Margaret, Tim Burton, directs his best film in years, covering the story of Margaret Keane’s struggle to reclaim her artistic soul.

The first thing that strikes you about Tim Burton‘s new film is the colour. At first glance, each shot looks like a painted backdrop, crafted in flawless water colour hues. But they are quite real and are testament to Burton’s eye for detail and passion for a story that he holds close to his heart.

Burton muses over what makes art. Is art determined by the illuminati who decide what ‘good art’ is? Is it determined by what is popular? Is it determined by the (perceived) artist? Is it determined by authenticity? Is it determined by the effectiveness of the salesman? Or is art absolute – determined only by its own qualities? Or can it be any or all of these things?

Amy Adams is a master at fragility and she is well cast here as Margaret. Christoph Waltz is also effective as the slightly delusional but charming plagiarist, Walter.

Burton’s movies have been decidedly hit or miss in recent times – his first fifteen years as a director are definitely better then his second – but Big Eyes may well mark a quality turn into a new phase sans the freak shows of his prior efforts (though, in a sense, Big Eyes is still about freaks).

Stuart Jamieson
www.bigeyesfilm.com