I Tjwan Ing was born in Mojoagung, Central Java, on 20 November 1941. His mother made batik wax-resist dyed cloth, so from an early age he was exposed to art. In 1963 he enrolled at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB, Bandung Institute of Technology) in West Java to study interior architectural design and graduated in 1970. After working for a few years, Tjwan Ing decided in 1983 to go to Europe to study architecture and visit museums there. In 1990 he focused his skills on painting. He has participated in numerous exhibitions in Indonesia and at Art Singapore 2008. Tjwan Ing also held solo shows at the Mercantile Executive Club in Jakarta in 2004 and at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Surabaya in 2005. The artist now lives and works in Jakarta.

Tjwan Ing’s style is highly realistic, a popular technique among Indonesian contemporary artists. In order to go beyond merely reproducing images of well-known personalities, an artist who uses realism needs to come up with original compositions and ideas. While Tjwan Ing’s paintings are compositions that make use of photographic images, the more metaphorical meanings emerge from the interesting juxtaposition of images that tell stories.