Iwan Effendi (b. 1979, Indonesia) studied at the Department of Visual Art at the Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 2002 to 2004. In April 2006, he and his spouse, Ria Tri Sulistyani, founded the Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and in 2020, he established the Ing Printmaking Studio.
As the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Yogyakarta’s Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Effendi brings puppet characters to life through narrative and emotion. His practice spans puppet-making, painting, drawing, and performance, rooted in a fascination with the memories and stories each puppet embodies, even as its expression remains fixed. This openness invites viewers to interpret the work for themselves, often finding in the puppets a reflection of their own experience.
His solo exhibitions include Once Was, ara contemporary, Jakarta (2025); articulate, Mizuma Gallery, Tokyo (2024); preload at Mizuma Gallery, Singapore (2023); Daydreaming Face, Ruci Art, Jakarta (2021); DRAWING withdrawing (2020) and Face to Face, Mizuma Gallery, Singapore (2019); Eye of the Messenger, Yavuz Gallery, Singapore (2011); and Two Shoes for Dancing, Valentine Willie Fine Art (Project Room), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2009). He has also taken part in group exhibitions in Bulgaria, Singapore, Australia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, France, Japan, the USA, and Mexico, and has undertaken residencies, the Museum of Art in Kochi, Japan (2015); Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia (2014); and the Asian Cultural Council in New York, USA (2009-10) researching puppetry, visual art, and performance.
