Melati Suryodarmo (b. 1969, Solo, Indonesia) is a performance artist and choreographer, widely acclaimed as one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent and influential performance artists. After earning a degree in International Relations from University Padjadjaran in Bandung in 1993, she moved to Germany to study at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, where she received her Meisterschüler qualification in Performance Art in 2002 under the tutelage of Marina Abramović and acclaimed butoh dancer Anzu Furukawa. Melati Suryodarmo currently lives and works in Solo, Indonesia.

Suryodarmo is known for her durational performances that emphasize physical intensity. Through hours-long, highly demanding repetitive actions, she compels viewers to confront emotion and the pain of repetition, opening a threshold of perception to explore the fluid and open boundaries between the body and its environment, and extending this inquiry to cultural, social, and political dimensions. Her practice is informed by embodied and spiritual disciplines such as Javanese traditional dance, tai chi, Japanese butoh, and Sumarah meditation.

In addition to her artistic practice, Melati Suryodarmo has also played a significant role as a curator, educator, and organizer, becoming a key figure in shaping Indonesia’s contemporary art ecosystem. Since 2007, she has initiated the Performance Art Laboratory Project (PALP) as well as the annual performance art festival Undisclosed Territory in Indonesia. In 2012, she founded Studio Plesungan in Solo—a creative space and incubation platform providing diverse support for fellow artists. She served as Artistic Director of the Jakarta Biennale in 2017 and later directed Indonesia Bertutur in 2022 and 2024.

Recent solo exhibitions have been presented at Kyoto Art Center (2024); Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2023); Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (2022); and Museum MACAN, Jakarta (2020–2021). Her work has also been exhibited in major international biennales and institutions, including the Thailand Biennale, Phuket (2025); Singapore Art Museum (2025); National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (2024); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2021); Asia Society Triennial, New York (2020); Bangkok Art Biennale (2020); National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2019); Singapore Biennale (2015); and the Asia Pacific Triennial, QAGOMA, Brisbane (2015).

Suryodarmo’s work is held in major public collections, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Akili Museum of Art, Jakarta; Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum MACAN, Jakarta; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery Singapore; Singapore Art Museum; M+, Hong Kong; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki; and Tate, London.

Melati Suryodarmo is participating in the Thailand Biennale, Phuket 2025. Titled Eternal [Kalpa], the biennale runs through April 30, 2026.