Ibrahim Soetomo

Ibrahim Soetomo (b. 1995, Indonesia) is a curator, writer, researcher and visual arts program manager based in Jakarta. He earned his Bachelor’s at the Jakarta Institute of Arts in 2018, with a thesis on art manifestos in Indonesia from the 1950s to 2010s and its connection to polemics on national and artistic identity. In 2023, he earned his Master’s degree at the Bandung Institute of Technology, with a thesis that analyzes the formalist art criticism of Dan Suwaryono from the 1950s to 1980s.

Ibrahim writes exhibition reviews and essays on the current arts in Indonesia. His research surveys the lives of painters and art critics in the 1970s. He is the author of projects such as Direktori: Peta Kolektif Indonesia 2010–2020 (Whiteboard Journal & British Council, 2020) and Amrus Natalsya: Memahat Bahtera Purba dan Pecinan Kota Tua, part of the project Pusaka Seni Rupa Indonesia 2: Seni Patung Indonesia Modern (Kemendikbudristek, 2021). He is a frequent contributor to Whiteboard Journal and has published in magazines such as Tempo and Kalam.

Currently, Ibrahim takes care of the visual art program at the Salihara Arts Centre, Jakarta. He organizes contemporary art exhibitions as well as historical and archival-based ones, which include Daya Gaya Decenta (2023), which focuses on the Design Center Association, founded in 1973 during New Order Indonesia; Relief Era Bung Karno (2024), which highlights six relief works by artist groups during President Sukarno’s regime; and Di Sini Aku Temukan Kau: Karya dan Arsip Sanggarbambu (2025), emphasizing the legacy of the early generation of the artist group Sanggarbambu (est. 1959).

Contributions