I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, known as Murni, was born in Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia, in 1966 and died in Ubud in 2006. A self-taught artist and a distinctive voice in Indonesian contemporary art, she is recognized for her exploration of the body, female subjectivity, and desire. Working primarily in painting and drawing, she developed a personal visual language of simple contours, bold colors, hybrid forms, fragmented bodies, and dreamlike imagery addressing memory, sexuality, trauma, humor, vulnerability, bodily self-affirmation, and gender oppression. Initially influenced by the Balinese Pengosekan painting tradition, she subverted its conventions to create her own iconography.

Her work gained significant international recognition posthumously, appearing in the 36th São Paulo Biennial, 58th Carnegie International, Taipei Biennial 2023, Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia at the National Gallery of Australia, and the solo exhibition Feels Strangely Good, Ya? at Nottingham Contemporary. Her works are held in major collections including Tate, the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery Singapore, and Museum MACAN.