Hendra Harsono (HeHe)

In today's Climate happiness is not all roses and candy; situations full of cheer almost always contain plenty of dark reality too. None of us are 100% ok. But a rainbow in black is still recognisable as a rainbow, as Cai Guo-Qiang showed the world in 2005. So it is with the dark yet cheer-filled energy of Hendra Harsono (HeHe). An artist who captures an important side of 21st century young adulthood, He He is like many of his peers and like nobody else at the same time.

Yes, He He is one of a practicing generation so current that their art 'movement' began to take

off while many of us were still drooling over the history of Modernism and cramming for exams. But he is also unique, delivering in these latest works the woodcarvings and rounded doll faces most familiar from Russian peasant and folk art, 'superflat'-tened in his own way that shows astounding progression from the artist's block-colour-backgrounded earlier works. In this elf and folk atmosphere, the use of 'wallpapers' also then becomes something more than just geometric patterning; it is the personality of each strange creature, the mood of certain portions of each work, and also the pastel-toned pop culture reinterpretation of rich carpets and fabrics that are a part of the history and culture of communities in our reality. Filling the canvas in this way Harsono heads ever closer toward the 'high', with his 'low' roots intact.

In this series, a woods-dwelling air is fantastically inescapable even in Blue Pattern Float and others that contain a semblance of water and waves. All the paintings contain wood paneling rendered in cartoon, and in some cases ringed tree stumps are the perfect He He replacement to

a Murakami toadstool seat. In The Bridge, a stain treatment, unique in the series, suggests that falling off balance, or jumping for that matter, could be a danger. In Horny Machine a clear night sky provides contrast, a welcome break, and a magical backdrop for curiosity. The skill of inserting such moments is that the viewer then looks on the patterned areas again with fresh eyes.

In viewing these paintings, we are able to connect and understand a little only because there

are arms, legs, hairstyles, all in the right places, and sometimes a sun in that position most appropriate since childhood: the top left- or right-hand corner of a picture. But absolutely everything seems to have eyes, a nose, and a mouth, facilitating total interaction so that it is actual facial expressions - on a tiny house for example - that give us the emotional clues we need to begin to understand the alternate reality in front of us. Clever compositional tools, whereby characters on the lefts and rights of canvases face inward, keep your eye informed of ultradynamic situations.

View each work as its total and you are kept at a distance in happy confusion. Ride a wave over one of these paintings and you can experience every character's dilemma as it helps to build the excitement and complexity of the work. Amongst the standouts are the fringed little guys in Horny Machine and The Bridge who, with hoodies zipped, dangle their feet and enjoy the ability to sit back and watch their colourful societies without getting involved. We can relate - for us things are also screwed up but functioning ... vibrant even. Through HeHe's art we are reminded of our own modern day 'happiness' and the potential rebellion of human imagination.

Suraya Warden Arts Writer/Curator

Hendra Harsono (Hel-le) Born 26 September 1983

. Lives and works in Yogyakarta

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2010 LITTLE HOUSE & THE PRAYER, Richard Koh Fine Art, Malaysia

2008 UTOLA LAND, viviyipartroom, Jakarta

2007 SHARE A BED WITH MONSTER, VIA VIA cafe Yogyakarta

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 - ARTJOG 10, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta

2009 - BOARDERLESS WORLD, 2nd anniversary SriSasanti gallery, Taman Budaya Jogjakarta - UP AND HOPE, D' peak art space, Jakarta

- SEPTEMBER CERIA, Jogja galeri, Yogyakarta

- BIENNALE SASTRA SALIHaLembaga Indonesia Perancis,-Yogyakarta

- KOMEDI PUTAR, Jogja Galeri, Yogyakarta

- BlACK URBAN ART 2008, Jakarta-Bandung-Yogyakarta

- BOYS ARE TOYS, SriSasanti galeri, Yogyakarta

- Asia Youth Contemporary artist, Richard Koh Fine Art, Malaysia

- JAF#l, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta

- INIBARUINI, viviyipartroom, Jakarta

- CONNECTED, Indonesia Jepang Expo Arena Kemayoran PRJ, Jakarta

2007 - FRINGES vol.l, toimoi, Jakarta

- YANG ERROR, the GATE cafe, Jogjakarta

- teaser BLACK URBAN ART, toimoi, kemang, Jakarta

- GET IT (W) ALL, galeri LIP, Jogjakarta

- BLACK URBAN ART 2007, kedai kebun, Jogjakarta

- SUPERB AMBITION, Senayan City, Jakarta

- custom toys, CAPO EXHIBITION, commonroom, Bandung

- Jogja Biennale IX - 2007 NEO NATION, jogja nasional museum, Yogyakarta

2006 - BOTOL KAGET, the GATE cafe, Yogyakarta

2005 - pameran tiga kota DAUN MUDA, galeri padi, Bandung - SEPTEMBER SOMETHING, kedai kebun, Yogyakarta

2004 - HARI-HARI CERIA SEWON - BULAKSUMUR, gelanggang mahasiswa UGM - NGERUMPI DI MALL, Plaza TRIO Magelang

- pameran grafis dua kota HALO KAWAN BARU, Ruang pamer IKJ

- pameran grafis ROADTR I P, outmagz artuary

- pameran fundraising "GEDEEBOOK" kedai kebun, Jogjakarta

iI RICHARD KOH FINE ART

In collaboration with

Lot No. 2F-3, Level 2, Bangsar Village II, Jln Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur. T 603 2283 3677 F 603 2283 4677 Open daily lOam - lOpm www.rkfineart.com

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