Irfan Setia

Irfan Setia (born in 1981) is an Indonesian painter whose work explores the relationship between freedom, resilience and cultural roots. Based in Ciamis, West Java, he graduated in painting from STISI Bandung in 2005 and combines his studio practice with his role as a fine arts educator at MAN 2 Ciamis.

The Kapinis bird is central to his artistic language. In flight, it becomes a symbol of determination: a presence that crosses changing environments without losing its connection to home. This imagery reflects his attachment to Galuh Ciamis and to the Sundanese values of mutual learning, affection and care.

Setia paints birds within vibrant fields of acrylic colour, intersecting lines and geometric structures. Sweeping gestures suggest speed, while arches and angular forms establish a contrasting sense of order. Yellow, blue and earthy tones give his compositions warmth and intensity, allowing the eye to move between the animal figure and the surrounding abstraction.

His paintings offer several paths of discovery. From a distance, the movement of wings creates an immediate focal point; closer inspection reveals layered brushwork, shifting colour and the interplay of lines. His diptychs explore these relationships across two connected surfaces.

His career includes exhibitions in Bandung and Ciamis, participation in the West Java Biennale, and public mural projects. Teaching and painting form complementary parts of a practice guided by exploration and the transmission of artistic knowledge.

Presented by Abstract Art Gallery, Riga, Irfan Setia invites viewers to consider flight as a meeting of courage, purpose and belonging.