Wahyu is one of the three non-Singaporean artists involved in this exhibition. A young artist from Indonesia, he has been actively participating in many exhibitions in Jakarta. This will be his first exhibition in Singapore. Catherine spoke to him through e-mail to know more about this young creative talent.

Catherine : What draws you to participate in this exhibition?

Wahyu : The theme! It is close (“kinda”) to the usual themes of my artworks. Something related about social relationship between myself to my surroundings. In this case family, which is not only about my own family but also about everyone around me that gave me sort of impact to my life.

C: Can you tell us a little bit more about your art piece?

W: In my painting “We Could Grow Up Together”, it’s about the feeling of being lonely as we grow up. As one lives s in a very busy city, we tend to be more ignorant about anything else but ourselves (become more individualistic). Sadly, it’s only at the end of the day when we realize just how lonely we are. This piece is a reassurance that speaks of hope, that there is still hope- for you are not alone. As the title speaks for it-self, it’s about not giving up hope in this world and you can carry on. Because for me, when I forget about these hopes sometimes, it can make me feel so desperately lonely.

C: (Probe further) So can I say that this piece stems not so much from your personal family but a broad aspect of close social relationships that encompasses more than the immediate family? Are your friends in the same sphere of influence as your family then?

W: It depends. Both my family and friends have their own influences over me. The family itself is not less important than the friends or vice versa. This piece is based on what I feel about my past and my daily life as i grow up and my introspection on both aspects. But yes, friends can be a family too (in a different way).

C: Just curious, does your piece in any way relates to food?

W: I don’t think it’s related in a literal way. For me, food,or meal times, is a medium where you can share your time and yourself, and being together at a table. A meal-time is a chance for social interaction. Because personally, i don’t think one day is enough to build a healthy relationship, you need to maintain it, so “We Could Grow Up Together” is more about the process and time of growing up.

C: What inspires you to come up with such an art piece?

W: I don’t know if it was a coincidence or not (well maybe not, I don’t really believe in coincidence, haha), someone left a comment on my blog and his blog address is wecouldgrowuptogether. Prior to this, I had a rough sketch on what I was going to paint, but when I read the blog name, my sketch was completed. The title struck a bell in me as it really represented my own feeling about extreme loneliness, stress, sadness and keeping the faith.

C: Tell us more about your style and motivation as an artist.

W: When people asked me about my style, to be honest, i don’t really know and never really think about it, haha (this guy laughs a lot!). I paint because i want to. Well, maybe i belong to micropop (?!?), if i am correct about the concept, haha. If you asked me about my influences, I would say it mostly come from Japan… Manga, Art, Design and everything from this place. My motivation is simple. I just want to share what I feel,  on loneliness, sadness, happiness or  hope to stay alive (and sane) in this world, haha. Well, i don’t really hope everyone will understand it, but i think there are some people who may share the same feeling as me. I want my piece to touch these people. There is nothing more wonderful to know your art piece can mean something (or bring change) to someone else.

C: Well since you mentioned that your greatest motivation came from knowing your works have touched someone’s heart. Any particular memorable experience so far? And as you have said, we are living in a crowded and busy city, do you have such moments of motivation, ie when someone shows their appreciation of your work, constantly and from who?

W: Haha, when i think about it again, my motivation to make an art-work is because i want to understand more about myself, actually. As i paint, the process of creation makes me think and understand about myself, little by little. But its true i wish my works could touch someone’s heart, even though so far i haven’t heard from anyone who connects with my artworks, haha. At present, the compliments come from my friends, through the blog. Every time you get compliment for your hard works, it’s nice and motivating. Even if it’s a simple comment such as “the color is nice” or “it’s cute”, well it still feels good, haha. Hopefully with time, people will understand more about my artworks. It’s a process i guess, both for me as the painter, and the audiences as well.