KIAF SEOUL 2022

Atreyu Moniaga is an Indonesian artist based in Jakarta. He graduated with a degree in Communications and Visual Design from the Jakarta Institute of the Arts (IKJ) and started his career inthe creative scene as a freelance illustrator and photographer before fully immersing himself as a fineartist. His works are influenced by dark fantasies with a tinge of surrealism, in which he combinesvisual symbolisms as a way to communicate his most private thoughts, feelings, and desires. Althoughhe takes inspiration from somber sentients, his works are characterised by a whimsical universe filledwith beautiful ornamental details. Working primarily in painting and drawing, Atreyu has recentlyexplored sculpting and remains open to cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Artist Statement

‘Complex emotions that are often perceived as negative, such as despair, grief, and anguish are fuels to my artistic process. I try to convey these emotions through the visual universe I invented, though Ihope my audience can find a source of hopefulness and self-acceptance to confront their own grimfacets. I often allow myself to be lost in my own thoughts, where I feel unbound in creating thesefictional stories and characters found in my works, my universe.

In this new series that consists of eight watercolour paintings, I tried to re-communicate to myself through sketches I made in the past, as I usually use my sketchbook as a journal where I can documentmy feelings. Through this archive of my thoughts, the fictional world that I had imagined, I tried tocompose pieces of my emotions, while also experimenting with the use of colour and intensity to forma new atmosphere in these new works.’

Baik Art.