Exhibition Dates: September - October 2019

Letter from the chairman

I first ran across Indra and Dedi’s work at Art Central in Hong Kong in 2016. Among the wide range of art works at the show, their paintings, which were right at the back of the main exhibition hall, stood out. At the time I was accompanied by a friend and leading Australian art critic who agreed with me and together we approached the booth displaying the work. We discovered that the Artemis Art Gallery in Malaysia was representing them. U.C. Loh, the gallery proprietor, happily introduced me to the two artists who had created the paintings, and from there a friendship developed.

While they were in Hong Kong both Indra and Dedi visited my studio in Wong Chuk Hang on the South Side of Hong Kong Island. They were like Art addicts! When they spotted the tubes of paint and blank canvases in my studio they became highly animated and asked if they might be able to paint. Their enthusiasm for painting
was infectious, and over the course of an afternoon and the next day they produced
a number of original and visually inspired paintings. Each had a different style and approach to painting and mark making with each combining an apparent naivety and simplicity with a highly competent style and understanding of modern art. They worked tirelessly and with great joy. They combined a childlike enthusiasm with a dedication and sense of purpose and professionalism that was most impressive.

I had heard that some exiting work was being produced in Indonesia and this experience confirmed what I had been hearing. As a result we thought it would be important for the Nock Art Foundation to see first hand what was going on in that country. In many respects it reminded me of the excitement generated by the contemporary Chinese artists at the turn of the 21st century. In 2016 and 2017 the Nock Art Curator, Thomas Orbon, visited the art fair in Yogyakata where again he met with Dedi and Indra. Thomas went with a mandate to see if Indra and Dedi would be interested in one of our art residencies in New Zealand. This exhibition is the result of the residency, and the work produced for this show is inspired by what they saw and experienced in the Queenstown and Arrowtown environment which was so different to their home environment.

Michael Nock

Chairman, Nock Art Foundation

Dedy Sufriadi

Using variations of text, plus naïve figurations and symbolism, Dedy Sufriadi’s works infuse both the current ubiquity and historical importance of text and symbology into intricate abstract expressionist compositions, utilizing multilayered literary excerpts, narratives and symbols to replace what would usually be the play of colors and lines.

Dedy’s more recent works take text to another level, beyond the literal and familiar. One of his better-known styles embodies the concept of hypertext, borrowed from the world of information technology, he invites the viewers of his art to extrapolate and form their own contextual meanings from the visual imagery presented.

In some cases the text is distinct and recognizable but quite often obscured as a result of layering and overpainting. The more we scrutinize his works, the more information materializes, in the form of text and sometimes in the form of iconography, allowing us to interpret what is presented to the viewer as visual clues. This is conceptually similar to how hyperlinks – both text and icon based – facilitate us jumping from one location to another on the Internet, revealing more information along the way.

Regardless of which specific style is presented, Dedy’s artworks aim at gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves, and ultimately, of the world around us.

Indra Dodi

The colorful naïve-style works of artist Indra Dodi have arrived to where they are today having gone through a gradual style metamorphosis over the last several years. He was well known early in his career as an abstract painter, and for his use of soft colors. Indra is, however, a storyteller by nature, distinct and recognizable form outlines already apparent in his early abstract artworks. His visual language has developed to include figurative elements and objects, distorted but distinct in their meaning and intent, skilfully composed to tell the many anecdotes, dreams, and stories the artist has to convey.

Indra Dodi’s works have captured the attention of art enthusiasts regionally. The artist has frequently exhibited outside his home country of Indonesia in the past few years, around Asia and in Europe.

Of important note is his participation in U(DYS)TOPIA, a collaborative project consisting of artists from Germany and Indonesia, in 2010, leading to three exhibitions in Germany, and followed up by Crossing Sign, a series of four exhibitions in four cities in Indonesia.

Originally from Padang, Indra Dodi, like many other Yogyakarta based artists, studied at the prestigious Institut Seni Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of the Arts, or ISI), eventually making this vibrant artistic city his home.