Agus Suwage, one of the most respected artists in Indonesia, is having his first solo exhibition in the United States. Entitled The End Is Just Beginning Is the End, the exhibition features a new series of paintings and sculptures especially conceived for the gallery. Suwage has long been fascinated with the unique properties of unusual materials, and for this exhibition he has for the first time created a body of work using sheets of zinc. He makes use of the dappled, monochromatic surface of the metal panels, manipulating them to create contrasting areas of dark, rough patina, the whole suggesting at times a sandy beach or a rocky outcropping. On this backdrop, he paints enigmatic scenes that make reference to some familiar motifs of his work, such as the human skeleton and his own self-portrait. Images of the artist emerge from the raw metallic surfaces, transforming into skeletons that slowly fall apart and fade into the natural environment. For Suwage, these works are a meditation on birth, life, death, and nature.
