Nyoman Masriadi’s paintings frequently depict superhuman figures whose narratives, while rooted in Indonesian cultural history, offer witty and often biting social commentary on contemporary life and global pop culture. Through his control of light, shadow and volume, Masriadi endows these monumental characters with a sculptural, almost three-dimensional presence. Sometimes these characters appear in the archetypal roles of comic book heroes, cowboys, soldiers and athletes, but just as frequently, they are just powerfully built men and women engaged in solitary acts of strength or captured in private moments of vulnerability. Masriadi studied at the Institut Seni Indonesia in Jogjakarta. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Black is My Last Weapon, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore (2008); Jogja Biennale X, Jogjakarta, Indonesia (2009) and The Simple Art of Parody, Taipei MOCA, China (2009). He is the subject of a major new monograph, Nyoman Masriadi: Reconfiguring the Body, written by art historian T.K. Sabapathy and with an essay by Goenawan Mohamed. Paul Kasmin Gallery held his first exhibition in the United States in 2011.