Dreams are able to drive man to do things, whether to strengthen their belief to persevere or to call off an action. Dreams can even guide one to act outside of convention. They are intertwined closely with mystery.
Mimpi Yang Dedar (Fever Dream)
2021
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
230 x 180 cm
Mimpi Yang Dedar archives the dream of artist’s mother. In that dream, there appears Rhomadioni, who was digging a hole in a room with a bruised body. It seems like the body has been beaten repeatedly with a blunt object. His skin is glistening with sweat, light to the touch and wimpy, strengthless and flaccid. Despite his condition, the son stays absorbed in his digging. The mother cries pleadingly while overwhelming pity washes over her. Her tears formed a small creek. Suddenly, her son said “I’m alright mother, don’t worry about me”, and all of a sudden the room is filled with pastel colours.
The horror of this dream is indeed corporeal in nature, yet the human subconscious mind abstracts the physical into the surreal and otherworldly.
Through creating this artwork, the artist ponders the possible reasons behind why dreams happen. Is it true that dreams are given to us as a guide? What does this mean to the artist if a dream indeed carries a certain precognition of future doom?
Enggar Rhomadioni (b. 1992, Indonesia)
Based in Yogyakarta, Rhomadioni seeks to record all of life’s events, our glories and our tragedies, in his paintings. He utilises the act of creation as a way of processing these experiences – art as a tool for communicating our emotions and feelings, and overcoming trauma.
These events and memories resulted in surreal paintings that can be reinterpreted by the viewers. Remembrances in his works are painted in the form of familiar objects or mementos which then triggers the recollection of different memories to each of the viewers.
Rhomadioni’s work explores the pressures of modern society, and the psychological effects that may follow, using art as a therapeutic release from the bustle of everyday life.
Rhomadioni’s latest solo exhibition was RETRIEVAL in Artotel Wahid Hasyim, Jakarta, Indonesia. He has taken part in group exhibitions including Use Your Illusion, Edwin’s Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia (2020); Convergence, Gajah Gallery, Singapore (2019); Kontraksi: Pasca Tradisionalisme (2019), and Rest Area (2017), National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.