Naufal Abshar

Naufal Abshar is a promising young Indonesian artist, born in 1993 in Bandung. Trained at Lasalle College of the Arts and Goldsmith University of London, Naufal has participated in various group exhibitions in places as diverse as Singapore, Jogja, Venice and Lithuania. In 2013, he won the first prize in the Indonesia Arts Festival live painting competition. With his “HAHA” series, Naufal explores the roots and boundaries of humour and laughter.

As an artist, Naufal is a student perhaps unconscious of the philosopher Henri Bergson who researched the meaning of laughter and observed its social function. “My work explores the amalgamation of the concepts of laughter and humour, which are universal to human culture. HAHA represents laughter in various activities, which are: laughing because we won something, laughing because we mock someone, laughing induced by craziness or it can be a rejection of fears. So in my work, I try to twist the role of laughter or humour into an activity of repetition that constructs social criticism. The prolongation of form on political humour can be found in most of my works, the use of satiric laughter illustrates how I use laughter as an activity that can imply criticism.”

Bachelor of Fine Law
Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore

2019
SOLO:
‘I AM ME’, Art Porters Gallery, Singapore.

GROUP:
Posthuman,
Hatch Art Projects,
Singapore Maldives Meradhoo Project,
Raffles Maldives, Maldives Art in a Hotel Room,
Hong Kong Art Moments,
Art Porters Gallery,
Jakarta MotoMoto Museum,
Jakarta SURP Exhibition,
New York Academy of Art, NYC

2018
SOLO:
The World of Entertainment D’Gallery, Jakarta

GROUP:
Art Stage Singapore 2018, Marina bay Sands
Spring Meetings, IMF-World Bank, Washington DC, USA
Malaysian Art Fair, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Art Jakarta, The Ritz Carlton Pacific Place,Jakarta,Indonesia

2017
SOLO:
Is this Fate? Art Porters, Singapore

GROUP:
Entre Dos Pensamientos, Madrid, Spain
Art Jakarta 2017, Ritz Carlton,Jakarta
Art Stage Jakarta 2017, Sheraton Grand,Jakarta
52th Singapore National Day, Shangrila Jakarta
Between Singapore and Indonesia ART at WTC Building, Jakarta

2016
Art Moves The Connoisseur Concerto ‘The Gallery’ 51 Circular Road,
Singapore
Art Stage Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Art Stage Jakarta, Shertaon Grand Gandari city, Jakarta

2015
SOLO
United in Habits, Nusa Kopi Art Space, Jakarta Indonesia
Debrief ‘HAHA’ Series, Canvas Singapore, Singapore
Withstanding, Lasalle@winstedt...