Indra Was Here. | Indra DODI Solo Exhibition Information

Using the concept of "someone was here," a graffiti text often seen in scenic spots around Taiwan, Indra Dodi, an artist from Padang, Indonesia, who has exhibited around the world, presents his works of childlike wonder at Gallery 101. A total of sixteen paintings from 2018 to 2023, including three brand new works to be published for the first time in 2023, are on display in the Gallery 101 space. The art space located on the first floor of the Taipei 101 building creates a lively yet relaxing atmosphere within the busy financial center.

Indra Dodi states: "Learn to close your eyes, bring back your inner child, and seek creativity, the original form of self-expression." Dodi has achieved mastery after undergoing rigorous professional training and standing out among 10,000 other artists at the National University of Arts in Yogyakarta. However, in developing his creative vocabulary, he has reverted to using simple painting techniques. He seeks to present works mimicking children’s graffiti—the most original method of self-expression.

Indra Dodi blends elements of Java indigenous culture and street graffiti from around the world into his works, thus creating his personal creative language. The mixture of intuitive strokes combined with words waiting to be read from the observer's perspective seeks to tell anecdotes about the world and the people in it. Each artwork has a hidden story, yet depending on the viewer, the version differs. The newest art piece "Behind the Big Story" revolves around the topic of tall buildings, which were built on the backs of hardworking people, something we tend to overlook. Without their efforts, these great buildings could not have achieved the prosperity of today. "Another Deep Side" depicts a vibrant and colorful library where people of all ages, regardless of gender, gather to read books. This lively atmosphere goes to show how enjoyable reading is. "Dinner Series 2" is a representative theme in Indra Dodi’s work. Through the setting of the dinner table and the movements of each character, the emotional aspect of human relationships is conveyed. All while many important societal decisions are being made at the dinner table.

Exhibition Details

• Indra Was Here. | Indra DODI Solo Exhibition
• Date: 15 Mar - 29 Apr 2023
• Venue: Gallery 101, Taipei 101
• Address: 1F, No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Taipei, Taiwan

About the Artist

Indra Dodi

Indra Dodi was born in 1980, Padang, Indonesia. In the early stages of his art career, he was known for his soft-tone abstract pieces. His works portrayed nature from the perspective of a storyteller. During this time, Dodi's unique painting style took form. As his ability to visualize concepts improved, he proceeded to incorporate everyday elements into his paintings. Such additions strengthened the central idea behind each art piece and enhanced the stories and anecdotes the artist hoped to convey.

When Indra Dodi first came to Yogyakarta in 2000, he learned how to paint from his uncle, a painter. He continued his education at the Indonsian Institute of the Arts (ISI-Institute Seni Indoesia) in 2005, where he majored in painting. There he explored several styles and techniques, including realism and expressive painting, before finding freedom in abstract painting. Doni credits abstract painting with building his confidence, as it provided an outlet where he could explore his feelings. This sense of freedom and inner liberation is evident in his later works.

Since the beginning of his artistic journey, Dodi has considered painting to be a very serious activity, requiring personal commitment, technical skills, knowledge, energy, and imagination. But it is also fun and playful—something he wants to be able to have painted on canvas. The joy of painting also motivates him as an artist. Dodi's work emphasizes the need to close one's eyes and return to a childlike mentality to find artistic creativity, an expression of the inner self.

Today, Indra Dodi finds inspiration in his child: how they play, learn, and view the world have all contributed to the adoption of naïve figurative painting as his current style. Dodi treats art as play. He believes people should spend more time playing as a form of training. To follow one's inner truth, we must respond to the invitation to play. just like how he responds to art. Beauty is a truth, a true expression of the soul. The best outcome and most fulfilling part of art is being recognized and appreciated by the audience, which in turn brings pleasure to both the artist and the viewer.

For Dodi, reality can be brutal and terrifying. At the same time, it has a comical and humorous side. In essence, life is not one-sided. Dodi seeks to catch such moments within his memory, similar to a photographer taking snapshots, then using these memories to paint the viewer a story. These stories are taken from daily life, reality, and even his own imagination. They can also be a series of unrelated and unpredictable events.

Each painting represents his rebellion: his inner restlessness and the desire to escape. Why do objects have to be a specific color? Why do we always have to agree and never disagree? These are scenes from daily life containing elements of comedy, drama, emotions, and even mystery. His works' plot thickens, much like a film's. He seeks to portray character development on canvas, depicting all aspects of human life. Humanity struggles with emotions, ambitions, and aspirations. Sometimes people succeed, and other times they don't. To Indra Dodi, success and failure are never-ending cycles of change we have to face. Happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin, as are beauty and ugliness. It's all about being human.

The faces visualized in Dodi's portrait paintings tell their own story. Life is inscribed on both the human face and the human body. Their physical appearance is a metaphor for their psychological state, while their facial and physical expressions reflect their biographies. People can be tall or short, fat or thin, yet the focus of each painting lies within their expressions.

His current abstraction is a condensed version of multiple metaphors. Exaggerating the scary and ugly aspects of life to reveal the true nature of humans as well as animals and imaginary creatures, Dodi considers his paintings to be visualized poems where anything can appear. Weapons, skulls, ferocious-looking dogs, and terrifying creatures intermingle with everyday scenes. They are just a part of life. Each scene is subjective. In other words, each viewer is looking through a colorful kaleidoscope, changing their understanding as the lenses are removed. Horses, dogs, snakes, elephants, cows, and the thorny cactus are all part of the world. Combining different textures and shapes can make a person appear more animal-like.

Indra Dodi looks at the world from an unconventional perspective. His paintings do the same; they show reality through Dodi's viewpoint, such as the environment, villages, society, stones, mountains, rivers, rain, clouds, partying, love, being drunk, women, children, land, language, alphabets, etc. All in all, he has developed his own visual language. The narrative structure is open to interpretation, as there is much left for the viewer to imagine. Written words or letters often show up on canvas, sometimes connecting to objects; most of such text is not supposed to have any meaning. They are merely visual elements, yet at the same time they discuss the text and images. Lines of letters flow like rivers, and colorful letters blossom like a flower garden. Indra Dadi reassembles the world into images within his works. This, then, is visual poetry.

Information Source: provided by Donna Art