“I refer to things based on what I feel and see, and I visualise that. I then combine the figures and objects I draw with whatever is in my imagination. I hope to communicate that with an audience that will have their own interpretations of the pieces.”
— Roby Dwi Antono
Widely respected as a rising contemporary art star in recent years, Roby Dwi Antono is best known for his surrealistic works that act as portals into otherworldly scenes. Based on his vivid imaginations and creativity, the artist’s style is characterised by a harmonious fusion between Surrealism and Classical Renaissance imagery.
Ranting is an exquisite and significant painting that belongs to the artist’s earlier body of works. Executed in 2012, the present work demonstrates Antono’s deft approach to painting and features his signature motifs. Drawing reference from his childhood memories and fascination for Fiction films, Ranting exudes a sense of mysteriousness which undoubtedly leaves viewers in a state of wonder – encouraging them to decode the elements embedded within his work. Taking centre stage of the composition is a female figure wearing a white dressing gown. At once tranquil and uncanny, the surrounding natural landscape in the background emanates a macabre quality – recalling works by the likes of the Pop-surrealist master, Mark Ryden.
Atypical of Antono’s usual depictions of starry-eyed children, the facial features of the figure are illustrated in a way that appears almost out of proportion. It is important to note that her skin still retains a certain softness and delicateness, displaying a shimmering translucency that reveals Antono’s masterful technical ability in experimenting with meditative layers of paint at the dawn of his artistic career. Ranting also presents the girl effortlessly holding a crystal orb in her right hand, leaving viewers to decipher its underlying meaning. Regarded as an emblem of the world itself, the orb perhaps alludes to the artist’s deep interest in theology and cosmology. Viewers who are familiar with Antono’s works will recognise his implementation of mythological creatures such as the two dinosaurs in the present work.
As ever, Roby Dwi Antono’s works are charged with psychological depth and aim to probe the contradictions of human existence through a set of idioms that hold personal meaning to the artist.