Human experience in engineered landscapes

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Eko Nugroho. Image courtesy of STPI, Singapore.

In Eko Nugroho’s surreal universe, monsters lurk closer than we think. Figures shapeshift between man and machine, inhabiting hybrid forms from parallel dimensions. Drawing on influences from street art, graffiti and comics, these graphic renderings of masked creatures transform Nugroho’s daily observations into a playful critique of lived realities, unveiling themes of identity, perception and belonging.

Grounded in everyday encounters from his second residency at STPI, this exhibition extends Nugroho’s wry inquiry of social norms in Singapore into a masquerade of chilli crabs and cyborgs. Here, he turns his astute eye to tourism, architecture and culture in the city-state, examining shared experiences that shape national identity and community. Mutated by televisions and smartphones, Nugroho’s characters mirror dystopian futures of a digitally saturated age—where screen addictions alter our minds and selves into unrecognisable forms.

Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW, 2026, installation view. Image courtesy of STPI, Singapore. — *Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW*, 2026, installation view. Image courtesy of STPI, Singapore.

Across new expressions in mokulito (wood lithography) and pulp painting at STPI’s Workshop, Nugroho’s textured compositions convey tangible anxieties of contemporary life, inviting us to question the charged act of seeing and being seen. Through its menagerie of mutant characters, STRANGE MONSTER VIEW offers an uncanny glimpse into the absurdity of living in a hyperconnected world: one where reality and fiction blend seamlessly together, and the idea of the self becomes increasingly untenable.

“Nugroho’s textured compositions convey tangible anxieties of contemporary life, inviting us to question the charged act of seeing and being seen.”

Screenprints

Masks are central to Nugroho’s visual language. Using masks as symbols of performance, concealment and protection, Nugroho distills complex social realities into a simple form, recasting mundane objects as satirical devices to expose hidden narratives. In WE WATCH BEHIND THE GRASS, pairs of eyes lay beneath dense foliage, alluding to the artifice of manicured landscapes along with the disquieting unease of being watched. Equally unsettling is the macabre portrayal of eyes masked by carcasses in WE WATCH BEHIND THE BONES, centring human motives behind violent acts of destruction today.

Mokulitos

Nugroho often draws from his surroundings to craft visual narratives that allegorise contemporary life. Composed with the expressive technique of mokulito (wood lithography), this series bears atmospheric imprints of his experiences in Singapore, contemplating the alienation of the individual in modern society. Across intimate works like NOW EVERYONE IS LOST, the unnerving fixation of mutant figures to their smartphones explores how technology rewires connection, estranging us from lived realities. From National Day fireworks in I SEE INDEPENDENCE to steamed buns in WE ARE REAL TOURISTS, Nugroho delves into the idea of the spectacle to consider how culture and identity are commodified and mediated by digital images.

Embossed works

While Nugroho’s works remain largely figurative, his embossed works at STPI introduce elements of abstraction to his practice. The MAPPING THE PEACE SYSTEM series employs a distinctively new approach to colour, line and form through reduction: geometric shapes in fluorescent schemes overlay pared-down outlines of his masked figures. For Nugroho, these experiments with space and depth evoke how physical architecture shapes human experience in engineered landscapes like Singapore. The city’s spatial organisation—the way it is arranged, constructed, and regulated—presented a singular vision of urban aesthetics he sought to invoke in these minimalist compositions.

“For Nugroho, these experiments with space and depth evoke how physical architecture shapes human experience in engineered landscapes like Singapore.”

Woodblock prints

Central to Nugroho’s practice is community engagement, where his works act as radical interventions to reimagine worlds led by caring, sharing, and a marked awareness of social realities. Beyond their hypnotic allure, the immediacy and directness of Nugroho’s works—along with their dark humour—enables his social commentary to remain widely legible and resonant. Through universal messages such as “CARE,” “SHARE,” and “AWARE,” Nugroho’s masked figures appear as advocates for solidarity and empathy amid political anxieties. Rallying against technological dread, Nugroho returns to these words as core tenets of his practice, reaffirming the spirit of social activism that underpins his works.

This article is presented in partnership with STPI.

Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW runs from 22 August to 10 October 2026 at STPI, Singapore. For more information, click here.

Eko Nugroho: STRANGE MONSTER VIEW

“Nugroho’s textured compositions convey tangible anxieties of contemporary life, inviting us to question the charged act of seeing and being seen.”

“For Nugroho, these experiments with space and depth evoke how physical architecture shapes human experience in engineered landscapes like Singapore.”

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