ROBY DWI ANTONO: TUK
Almine Rech London presents TUK, an exhibition of recent works by Roby Dwi Antono.
January 11 – February 17, 2024
On the brink of a new decade, the 2010s in Yogyakarta/Jogja, the cultural capital city of Indonesia, a generation of young Indonesian artists spearheaded a new genre of art making, a localized hybrid of Pop Surrealism/low-brow art that heavily influenced the style of young painters around that time. Many of these artists carried a mix of Pop Surrealism blended with grass root sensibilities, with themes mainly explored everyday life, pop culture, local and global in each of their works.
This community grew from an independent and underground spirit influenced by various subcultures like pop culture, indie movements, graphic novels, "lowbrow art", pop surrealism, streetstyle fashion, and more. These influences also reflected the development of Indonesian post-Reformation youth culture.
Roby Dwi Antono stands out from this generation with a slightly unconventional path with his self-taught background and distinctive style, which sets him apart from his peers who mostly came from Jogja’s Indonesian Art Institute. Roby started working with acrylic paintings in 2011, but later focused on mastering oil on canvas as his preferred medium for his second solo exhibition, 'The Way of Grace' in 2012. Roby’s paintings are mosaics of his visual memories, commentaries and fantasies – often drawn from childhood, with signature ‘characters’ such as rabbits, little children and humanoid animals in a dreamlike setting, all executed with distinctive style and immaculate precision in his technique. His signature style remained consistent from 2012-2018, evident in his solo exhibitions 'Januari di Utara' (2015) and 'Origins' (2018), marking his significant debut on the international stage.
This solo exhibition presents Roby’s works that he created since the birth of his firstborn daughter, Laut, in July 2023. Inspired by his experiences as a new father, the impact of starting a family, Roby confronts the challenges, joys and anxieties of parenthood all the while nurturing his hopes and dreams for the future. His maturing outlook on life has extended beyond comprehending his own life as an artist, but also of his role as a member of a family and community.
his shift led him to explore a new artistic expression executed in rough, raw strokes and vivid colors. It is derived from a more domestic reality. It became more crucial to capture the ever-changing tension within him, rather than it is to depict a detailed landscape. The movement of his paint needs to articulate his emotion.
A recent imprinted recollection was of his daughter who accidently swallowed his wife’s amniotic fluid, if not treated in time it can cause serious breathing problem and even lead to pneumonia. He witnessed the struggle of his wife to produce breast milk as she tries to aid their baby to health, he realized the immense value of a single drop of milk. These early obstacles became a welcomed routine one that created a deep bonding between him, his wife, and their daughter. It also influences his artistic process he is guided by a more mindful state of mind towards a more purified sense of awareness.