INVISIBLE PRESENCE
TAUFIK ERMAS
ART FAIR PHILIPPINES 2022
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Taufik Ermas (b. 1984 in Sumatra) combines elements that utilize the physical negative space as key components of visual conversations. Human silhouettes that outline the blank three-dimensional spaces in his sculptural paintings are symbolic of Taufik’s representation of the constant human quest to seek answers about ourselves and our place in this world. The emptiness and void in his works are introspections into the feeling of being incomplete, as we struggle with questions about our true and absolute purpose.
Taufik received his BFA from Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta. He was a finalist at the Indonesia Art Awards in 2010 and at the 2020 Sovereign Asian Art Prize in Hong Kong.
Born in Sumatra, Taufik Ermas works with different formats to articulate memory empowerment, prompting dialectical questions about the self. He combines elements that utilize the negative physical space as critical components of visual dialogues. Taufik presents a series of paintings informed by the three aspects of spirituality: suffering, awakening, ascending. These works elaborate socio-political issues that leave traces of memory to the physical and spiritual body.
Selected works from Invisible Presence
Taufik Ermas, Ephemeral Dialectic #4 , 2022, Acrylic on contoured layered canvas, 80 x 60 cm
Taufik Ermas, Exile Trace of Beauty #5, 2021, Acrylic on contoured layered canvas, 50 x 50 cm
Taufik Ermas, Floating Emotion #1, 2022, Acrylic on contoured layered canvas, 80 x 60 cm
Taufik Ermas, Exile Trace of Beauty #3, 2022, Acrylic on contoured layered canvas, 75 x 60 cm
Taufik Ermas, Exile Trace - Beauty Series (Behind the Veil), 2021, Acrylic on contoured layered canvas, 61 x 48.5 cm