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View all search resultsAm I an Artist: A return to art through self-doubt
After retreating inward following personal loss, multidisciplinary artist Abell Octovan shares his journey through a solo show, reclaiming his place in the art world.
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Intimate reflection: Filmmaker Jay Subiakto uses a mobile phone to document an artwork by Abell Octovan on Sept. 18, 2026, during the opening of the multidisciplinary artist’s debut solo exhibition, Am I An Artist, at JPLive! Space at The Jakarta Post in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. (JP/Iqro Rinaldi)
A
t first glance, How To Be Normal might appear to be a scene of quiet contemplation. The acrylic painting by Abell Octovan shows a man sitting and reading a book titled What to Wear When the Apocalypse Comes while holding another book, How to Say FU Properly. But underlying the seemingly ordinary scene is a restless question: How does one make peace with thoughts that refuse to settle?
According to Abell, the book being read represents a comforting guide, while the other one represents things left unsaid for fear of being too much. Together, they reflect what he describes as the never-ending process of making peace with one’s thoughts.
The painting is among the more than 20 artworks displayed in Am I an Artist, the multidisciplinary artist’s first solo exhibition running until Oct. 5 at The Jakarta Post’s JPLive! Space in Central Jakarta.
“What I find interesting is that Abell takes something from everyday life. There is a lot of self-reflection in his work.” — Syanda Kunto Prabowo, chief executive officer, Sidharta Auctioneer
Hanging opposite the gallery entrance, How To Be Normal immediately draws visitors into that inner world. Beside it is The Art of Release, another painting that turns an ordinary gesture into a meditation on letting go.
Depicting a person releasing a bird into the air, the image speaks to the struggle of holding on to something that must eventually be let go, Abell suggests, not as an act of surrender but as an acceptance of life.
“I think The Art of Release represents what I feel right now and what we are going through. We need to know what to hold on to and what to let go of,” said Syanda Kunto Prabowo, CEO of Sidharta Auctioneer, who attended the exhibition opening on Sept. 18.
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