A similar concept is found at "Mixed Feelings 04 – Kintsugi", an art exhibition held under the Atreyu Moniaga Project initiative, which aims at enriching creative talents in illustration and photography. Taking place at Tugu Kunstkring Paleis in Central Jakarta, the exhibition runs from July 17 to Aug. 15.

Mixed Feelings 04 – Kintsugi features four artists, namely Elle Dhita, Dinan Hadyan, Jessie Tjoe and Sol Cai. They courageously channel their problems into their artworks.

Dinan said she proposed the title based on fellow artists’ reasons for joining the initiative. “We’d like to showcase our flaws and say ‘Yes, we’ve experienced bad times and survived,” Dinan said at a media conference on Wednesday in Central Jakarta.

Almost all of the artists submitted 10 artworks that will be rotated mid-exhibition.

Elle, for instance, reminisced about loneliness and her experience when living abroad for 11 years. “I see how people come and go in my life. They can be strangers, friends or family,” said Elle. The strangers here were people she didn’t recognize but who had helped her. “I drew them as the guardian angels in the form of animals based on my imagination. I’d like to say that loneliness isn’t completely bad, so I chose an array of pastel colors.”

Jessie channeled her anxiety and other negative feelings into monsters that are visible in her works, and she used the paper-staining technique with coffee instead of tea. “I prefer coffee because it gives more dekil [dirty] and vintage effects with references from Victorian, Renaissance styles,” she said.

Read also: Emerging illustrators ponder the past at Mixed Feelings: 03 exhibit

Almost similar to Jessie, Sol, who has bipolar disorder, depicted her journey in living with the disorder in her works. It begins from before and after she was diagnosed, her relationship with medicine and how she made peace with her condition. “I can live with it. It doesn’t mean that I’m lacking anything. I’ll survive,” Sol said. She also wished to tell people who may suffer from mental issues that they are not alone.

Dinan, who has delved into K-Pop fandom since 2010 as a freelance illustrator, questions the concept of perfection that she pursued through her drawings. “They’re about acceptance and [my way] of finding a balance between my flaws and wish to be perfect,” Dinan said.

Mixed Feelings 04 may be different from its predecessors before it that mostly featured emerging artists. Almost all of the participants in this year’s initiative have professional experience. Sol used to work as a commercial illustrator, while Elle has a digital painting artist background.

Atreyu Moniaga, the director of the initiative, said the most challenging part during the process was their egos because each of them was aware of their value, even though they were not fully appreciated, especially due to creativity and commercial aspects that often intersect in artists’ lives.

“I’m really grateful for their humbleness when listening to [my advice],” said Atreyu. “We can’t underestimate people’s feelings because beneath their success they have dreams that haven’t been realized yet.” (mut)

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