Ines Katamso

31 Oct

Creating art as a biological process
By Alana Malika

Ines Katamso practises art as a form of biomimicry. She recreates life-sustaining systems and chemical processes through her collages, murals, and sculpture. The French-Indonesian artist engages in an existential exploration that intersects art and science under the premise of an Aristotelian proverb: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ines Katamso, ‘Intertwined 2’, 2021, non-toxic ink on 300 gsm paper (acid free & mould resistant), organic painting on wooden frame, 145 x 115cm. Image courtesy of Ines Katamso.

Living in Yogyakarta for the first ten years of her life, Ines grew up in a creative household with her tattoo artist mother and musician father. She later moved to France where she studied Fashion Design at La Calade. She returned to Indonesia after graduating to start her interior design studio, Atelier Ines-K. After focusing her early career as a muralist she transitioned into fine art, participating in a group exhibition titled ‘Self-Explanatory’ at Dia.lo.gue, Jakarta. Since then, Ines has worked closely with ISA Art and Design in several group exhibitions such as ‘Tetap Terang’ (2020) and ‘Buah Tangan’. (2019) Her most recent show with the gallery was her first solo titled ‘It Happened’ (2021).

Exhibition view of ‘It Happened’. Image courtesy of Ines Katamso.

‘It Happened' was conceptualised as a rumination on the origin of life that spawned from Katamso’s study of bacteria growth. Inspired by the shapes of the different cultures she observed in her own art studio, Katamso enlarges these biomorphic forms to allow people to confront the microscopic organelles that build up flora, fauna, fungi and everything in between. As part of her experimentation with organic compounds, the artist has committed to sustainable practices in creating these artworks. Collaborating with BYO Living, an architectural design firm specializing in sustainable development, Katamso uses homemade mineral paints and non-toxic papers.

Ines Katamso, ‘Replicated 1’, 2021, non-toxic ink on 300 gsm paper (acid free & mould resistant), organic painting on wooden frame, 145 x 115cm. Image courtesy of Ines Katamso.

Consciousness emerges from intracellular interactions like DNA replication, protein synthesis, or enzymes interlocking. Katamso’s creation process likens her work to life at its simplest unit. Through replicating cuts, synthesising colors and interlocking paper strips, she reminds her audience that complexity is derived from simplicity.

Click here to read our conversation with Ines Katamso about her studies in microbiology, her surface design firm, and more.