Azizi Al Majid

Bandung artist creates entry points for critical discussions 
By Ho See Wah

Azizi Al Majid, ‘Stating the Obvious’, 2020. Image courtesy of the artist.

Born in Palembang, Sumatra in 1994, Bandung-based artist Azizi Al Majid is an inquisitive observer of the art world. Dealing with meta-commentaries on contemporary art, the artist is particularly interested in the interpolation among art education, pedagogy, the public and contemporary practices. These ideas are expressed through a range of media, such as drawing, painting, video, installation and performative works. 

Since graduating from the Department of Fine Arts, Drawing studio at Bandung Institute of Technology in 2017, Azizi has taken part in various exhibitions, including his two solo exhibitions, ‘It Ain’t Five Minutes Yet!’ (2017) at OMNISPACE, Bandung and ‘Not All Who Wander Are Lost’ (2017) at Lir Space, Yogyakarta. Other activities include showcasing at the last three editions of Art Jakarta (2018 to 2020) and taking part in the Sixth Bandung Contemporary Art Award 2019, where he was a finalist. At the same time, the artist double-hats as a part-time visual art teacher for secondary school students. This dual role as artist and educator further informs his interest in the pedagogical aspect of art and its practices.

Left: Azizi Al Majid, ‘Wakaboom: Once Upon a Time in a Land Not So Far Away’, 2019. Right: ‘Wakaboom’ exhibition installation shot. Images courtesy of the artist.

Though working across a variety of media, some visual elements recur throughout his body of work. His distinctly child-like illustrations are an ironically humorous nod toward his background in drawing. Witticisms and biting phrases are also peppered throughout his oeuvre as a more direct device in what he views as “institutional critique” of the contemporary art system. Azizi further employs the technique of collaging in selected pieces of works, as if to provide an omnipresent point of view that augments the meta-commentary aspect of his subject. 

At once serious and fun, the works provide straightforward entry points for the kinds of discussions the artist wishes to elicit. To this end, we are invited to think more critically with Azizi about the business of art production and engagement in society. 

Click here to read our conversation with Azizi Al Majid, where he speaks about what prompted him to a career of art, how he prepared for two solo exhibitions as a recent graduate, and how his simultaneous positions as artist and educator inform one another.