Bonny Setiawan

B. 1968

Bonny Setiawan was born in Wonogiri, Central Java, in 1968, into a family deeply engaged in the arts. His interest in painting began at a young age and was further encouraged when, at fifteen, he left home to study at the SMSR Yogyakarta art high school, winning first prize in a school drawing competition during his first year. He later pursued formal studies at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta, majoring in painting and graduating in 1996. Since then, he has been active in both group and solo exhibitions in Indonesia and abroad, including in Singapore, France, and the United States.

Deeply inspired by Yogyakarta’s rich cultural life, Bonny’s works often depict traditional Javanese scenes such as herb sellers, weddings, and his favorite subject, Wayang Kulit. His paintings are marked by a distinctive interplay between tradition and modernity, revealing the tensions and harmonies within the human experience.