Phillip Kesumo
Year of birth: 1997
Where do you live: The Hague
Your education: Willem De Kooning Academy, Rotterdam
Describe your art in three words: Historical, personal, and emotional
Your discipline: Fine Arts
Could you tell us more about your journey as an artist? How did you transition from studying in Jakarta and Sydney to living and working in the Netherlands?
I was born and raised in Jakarta, and studied in an IB International School, where I took up Visual Arts and Design. It was there that under the supervision of my teachers that I discovered my unique art style. They motivated me to continue my studies in Fine Arts. So I pursued my university degree in Sydney, Australia at the University of New South Wales. Afterwards, I realized that the art scene in Europe was far more attractive. Adding to the fact that I have family members living in Amsterdam, I moved my life there where I did a pre-university course in art and design. I took a gap year before following a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts at the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. I graduated in 2024.
Your works often depict intense emotions and complex narratives. How do you approach the balance between figurative and abstract elements in your art?
My work is actually my graduation project that I did for my final year at the academy. I wrote a speculative historical fiction novel set during the Second World War. It particular, a famous event in the Netherlands called “Operation Market Garden”. As it is a work of fiction, the characters are my own and some elements are considered supernatural or fantasy-like. I made a series of twelve illustrations surrounding one of my main characters, a girl named Clara. I depicted her as a German girl who cares for the minority that are being oppressed by the National Socialists. I tried to create a sense of depth and perspective in my artworks by putting the main character in front and giving them attention to detail, while other objects that are further removed from the viewers appear smaller, hence the naive quality in style. Naive art was also a major style during my high school years which was widely received be people back then. But during my time in Europe, realism was more popular as the contemporary art community here views visual art as a reflection of the visual world around them. The teachers that I had here also taught me to experiment more with different styles and techniques so that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. Now, I have combined the two styles, taking the best from both worlds.
Phillip Kesumo | Clara and uncle himmlerThe recurring theme of individuals in your pieces seems to highlight strong emotional expressions. How do you choose your subjects and the emotions you wish to explore?
In my work, I chose to portray Clara as my consistent main character in the scenes that she is in, because there is depth in her personality, character, and the journey that she takes. Her greatest strength is love and compassion, and I wanted to explore the theme of discrimination in the modern world versus kindness, by placing it in a historical time period where there is alot of hatred towards groups of people.
In your pieces, there’s often an intricate interplay of light and shadow. How do you see light as a tool for storytelling in your artwork?
I use light and shadow as a way to show what the character is facing physically. This can be a wall in front of them, or a tree, or it could be the forces of nature such as a lightning bolt, or light from a bulb. I also used photographs of real life models to make my characters look as real as possible, and so that my audience can get closer and feel them on a personal level.
Phillip Kesumo | Clara and RoseHow does your multicultural background influence the way you approach art, both thematically and technically?
I have grown up with a Chinese and Indonesian background. My mother grew up in a Dutch household. As somebody with a disability, I have always faced discrimination back home, and in Western society, I felt like an outsider because of my race and ethnicity. This influenced the theme I chose to tackle in my art project. Naive art is also more commonly acceptable in Indonesia than in the Netherlands as Dutch people associate this art movement with outsiders and disabled people. So I decided to embrace it.
Phillip Kesumo | Circe tries to kill Clara
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