Indonesian born mixed-media artist Novemto Komo educated and
trained as a multimedia designer before transitioning to painting.
His first job was as a junior flash developer, using Photoshop,
Illustrator and Final Cut pro as his primary creative outlet. We
learn painting came as naturally to him, as being in the water and
riding the pacific waves. "I have always had a passion for
illustration and street art, practising it during college. The move
to paint was gradual. I got more and more graphic and illustration
jobs than web design and when I moved to Bali in 2009, I did a lot
of surfboard illustration using traditional methods." Not just
painting the surfboard, but riding the artwork through the waves,
indeed his perfect day would do just that, "for me it would be
surfing a longboard on tropical waves in the morning, then painting
while having a watermelon. Back to surf just before sunset,
eventually riding the board back to the beach." Watermelon?
"because of the taste, colour and freshness, that and not
forgetting some Polaroid’s to capture the day!"
"When I moved back to UK for my Master's in 2010, I got a
studio in a painting gallery, gathering a lot of influence from the
people and artworks around me. It inspired me to work with paint
more and more." Paint has always held a fascination for Novemto,
remembering the first time he saw a painting by Ford-Madox Brown
entitled 'Take your son, Sir' which he finally "had a chance to see
the original at Tate Britain a few years ago."
Does he miss the waves and home? “I don't think I could live
without my family. The need to see them feels stronger now they are
so far away. If I had a superpower, it would be to teleport, so I
can be in any place in the world anytime I want. I would be able to
have dinner tomorrow night with my family in Indonesia, at a
moments notice." We hold a strong connection to our family and to
our past, "as a kid I always remember I had the same dream during
my childhood, not everyday but often. Where I tried to put a big
stone into the thread hole of a needle. I knew it was impossible,
yet I kept trying." He also remembers placing stickers all around
his house from a young age and doodling for hours on
end.
Working in acrylic, spray paint and oil pastel, the artwork
Screaming depicts a conversation between two people, "where one of
them was not being listened to, screaming to be heard." He has in
the past done fashion illustration, which also uses bold colour,
sweeping lines and often, intricate drawing to depict the
clothing.
Finding inspiration from wide ranging art forms, from Picasso to
Warhol, Basquiat, modern street art and even tattoo, the style
could be described as experimental in nature, as his work is
continually evolving. Passion Talk was based on the idea of a lot
of people inhibited from talking, "even if it is a good thing or
for love. I remember a quote by Gandhi "A coward is incapable of
exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." We learn that
love, cigarettes and coffee fuel his work. A combination of all
three may make for a heady, 200 mile an hour view of the
world.
Recent works seek to highlight conflicts, injustices around the
world and ultimately the failings of the human condition if it can
be called that. Celebrate The Death was started after reading about
the extinction of animals and their plight. This could be
environmental or from poachers, torture and hunting. "I found a lot
of online media where these hunters are posting portraits with the
animal they hunt, as if celebrating the death of being with pride."
The artwork, in replacing human heads with animals, grabs your
attention and in doing so, makes the message that much more
powerful.