Solo exhibition
19 October – 15 November 2024
Purga Artspace
Jl. Bisma, Ubud ID
as part of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

Curated by Dwi S. Wibowo

A brilliant idea wakes her.

Sebuah ide brilian membangunkannya.

If she allows herself to sleep again,
morning might reveal its shortcomings,

Jika ia membiarkan dirinya tidur lagi,
pagi itu mungkin akan mengungkapkan kekurangan-kekurangannya.

so she

Jadi, ia

leaps out of bed, drinks a coffee and starts sketching.

melompat dari tempat tidur, meminum secangkir kopi, dan mulai menggambar.

By lunchtime she is wrestling with wood
and canvas
and pliers
and staples
and the stated drying times of acrylic gesso.

Menjelang makan siang, ia bergelut dengan kayu
dan kanvas
dan tang
dan staples
dan waktu mengeringkan gesso akrilik.

It’s the afternoon
now
and she is roughly applying colours to the taut fabric.

Kini
siang hari,
dan ia menorehkan warna dengan kasar pada kain yang kaku.

The curator arrives at the gallery.
He
t i p t o e s
towards her,
dodges a flying blob of magenta,
and musters his calmest tone,

“Um, what are you doing?”.

Lalu kurator tiba di galeri,
m e l a n g k a h dengan h a t i – h a t i
ke arahnya,
menghindari semburan magenta yang melayang bebas,
dan mengumpulkan suaranya yang paling tenang:

“Eh, apa yang sedang kamu lakukan?”.

Hanya 35 menit sebelum pameran dibuka,
dan ia berusaha membuat lukisan baru.

•••

Paintings in order of narrative and transcriptions:

Reality Check 2024, wall painting and vinyl lettering

I Lie 2021-2024, acrylic and oil on unstretched polycotton, 70 cm x 59 cm

I lie 
awake 
at night 
tossing and 
turning 
with 
CONFIDENCE

A Gift from Rob 2024, acrylic on polycotton, 200 cm x 150 cm

A GIFT FROM ROB
THANK YOU ROB
ROB SAYS IT’S
DIFF IC IC IC IC IC ULT
TO KILL
THANK YOU ROB

Kind(s) 2019, watercolour, gouache & pencil on acid free watercolour paper, A4

Huw is the kind of friend you can show your tooth collection to and he will make the right kinds of noises.

Wylie’s with Huw 2019, gouache & pencil on acid free watercolour paper, A4

Traditional Javanese Dance Hand Gestures, Compiled and Annotated by P.D. Norman 2014/2023, alleged found artefact (acrylic on unstretched raw canvas) on polycotton canvas, hand stitching, 155 cm x 120 cm. Excerpts

Unconditional 2023, oil on clear primed linen, 40 cm x 30 cm

Mittwoch / Rabu (After Mirjam) 2023, oil on clear primed linen, 30 cm x 40 cm

thuesday

Toothpaste. 2021, acrylic on unstretched canvas, 32 cm x 37 cm

Toothpaste. The aim is to get it on your tooth(s).

Basa-Basi (Lagi apa?) [Chit-Chat (What are you up to?)] 2022, acrylic on polycotton, 180 cm x 155 cm

DPS-JOG 2021, acrylic and collage on canvas, diptych, 180 cm x 305 cm

​​I always ask for a window seat: to peer down (dan nangis) into the craters of volcanoes; to peek the blindfolded people trying to walk between banyan trees in the alun-alun (ternyata! Si pohon beringinnya meloncat ke samping!); to spot the bend in the river and the bridge at the turn-off to my grandmother’s house (kiri! Saya turun di sini saja Bu Pilot). To imagine: what my aunties and uncles are doing (hari ini menjahit apa Lik? Budhe dan Pakdhe mau mampir Pakdhe di sebrang sungai ya? Jangan lupa pakai helm yaaa. Dan kencangkan tali helmnya!); what my cousins are up to (aduh Mbak gak pernah istirahat. Aku akan membayangkan momen istirahat buatmu ya. Santai dulu Mbak, tarik nafas); what my nieces and nephews are playing (lihat insekt apa di sawah? Nonton apa di TV? Bulik ganggu ya, banyak pertanyaan). We land and must wait for ages for our baggage to appear. Mine is one of the very last, but I pass the time by imagining what others bring with them.

Seek first to understand 2019, acrylic on unstretched canvas, 57 cm x 53 cm

Erin noticed that my neighbours prop their window open with a book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Maryanne, who works in HR, offered our friends 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training but no one could commit — except for Georgie, who already demonstrates many of the Habits of a Highly Effective Person. The other day, I peered over the neighbours’ fence. The book was gone, the window closed and a different window left open — one that stays open on its own.

Abstract Painting (5:25pm) 2024, acrylic on canvas, 90 cm x 70 cm

•••

•••

Curatorial essay by Dwi S. Wibowo (English & Bahasa Indonesia)

•••

Artist & Curator talk:

Watch video (2 minute excerpt)

The event began with the artist and curator telling contradictory anecdotes about their first meeting. Participants were encouraged to brainstorm the exhibition and paintings’ meanings collectively and share their own interpretations. They were also invited to read the painted stories out aloud and in unison and those who said they did not understand Bahasa Indonesia were invited to attempt to read the Indonesian texts to the rest of the group.

•••

Other events, part of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival:

• Friday 25 October: Panel discussion, Storytelling in art – how narrative shapes the visual form, with Suzanne Rastovac (Beyond Walls Collective, Netherlands), moderated by Natasha Doroshenko Murray (Art Circle Indonesia)

• Saturday 26 October: Painting workshop, Visual translation – from the meaningful to the visual form

•••

Install documentation: Kadek Bagaskarra
Exhibition opening and event documentation: Courtesy Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
Narrative text: Ida Lawrence
Narrative text translation to Indonesian: Gustra Adnyana
Exhibition essay and translation: Dwi S. Wibowo

Huge thank you to Gustra Adnyana and Purga Artspace, Dwi S. Wibowo, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival team, Deborah Iskandar and the ISA Art Gallery team, the Little Talks team, Citra Sasmita and Tara.

*

*

*