
25 Oct ART021: Perceptive Intuition by Dedy Sufriadi
Exhibited Artworks
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Not Good Art Until Sold (2020)
Acrylic and Marker on Canvas
250 x 150 cm
Artist Dedy Sufriadi is perhaps best known for how text is used in his artwork. The inclusion of text has been characteristic of Dedy’s artworks since very early on in his career. Over time, text in his works have evolved from being direct conveyors to “placeholder” for viewers to connect and imagine their own contexts and meanings.
In terms of categorization, Not Good Art Until Sold straddles both Dedy’s Text and Tabula Rasa series of works. While they contain depiction of text, this work has been created using the methodology employed throughout the Tabula Rasa series of paintings. The artwork, more importantly, reveals the more playful side of Dedy Sufriadi, who often subtly infuses humor into his works.

Tabula Rasa: Superficial (2021)
Acrylic, Marker and Pastel on Canvas
150 x 150 cm
The Tabula Rasa approach to art creation involves addressing the canvas with a clear mind. There is no pre-planned theme nor structure. Instead, Dedy allows his intuition free reign and creates the work with whatever he has within his reach in his studio at the time. But this approach shouldn’t be mistaken for mindless endeavor – while Dedy allows his intuition to roam free, it is guided by his many years of experience as a visual artist. Instinctively, Dedy knows when enough is enough,
His experience also shows in the level of restraint Dedy practices. It is not uncommon for abstract artists with lesser experience to go overboard, continuously adding lines, strokes or color without end.

Clip Art (2021)
Acrylic, Marker and Oil Stick on Canvas
150 x 150 cm
In this Tabula Rasa variant Dedy incorporates elements of naïve figuration often seen more distinctly in his other series of works. Clip Art is a reference to the dynamic icons and graphics found on web pages often hyperlinked to other parts of the Internet, acting as visual anchors and prompts. This closely relates to Dedy’s Hypertext body of work, where text and other elements in the artwork act as visual placeholders for viewers to create their own ideation linkages in their minds’ eyes.
As is quite common in Dedy Sufriadi’s works, a specific painting may or may not fall squarely within the bounds of a particular series, instead act as transitional visual bridges that bring together his rich and varied artistic practice.

Tabularasa #25.20 (2020)
Acrylic, Marker, Oil Stick and Pencil on Canvas
150 x 150 cm
Embodying the essence of the Tabula Rasa series, this artwork was created through pure intuition by the artist. Dedy’s intuition is let loose on the canvas, his creative process subjecting the canvas with multiple cycles of application, extraction, then re-application. This process is repeated until Dedy’s intuition says, “Enough“. A characteristic that is common throughout Dedy Sufriadi’s body of work, regardless of which series, is the artist’s skill in the use of color, producing compositions that are visually enticing and engage directly with the viewer’s inner self.
Although Dedy doesn’t explicitly imbue his more current works with philosophy, one cannot help but sense a deep philosophical pull in his paintings. But having studied existential philosophy for the better part of a decade earlier in his career, Dedy himself is an embodiment of existentialism. Hence it is not surprising that his works often project a deep philosophical affinity with those who open themselves to visually engage with the artist’s art.

Tabula Rasa: Move and Mind (2019)
Acrylic on Canvas
150 x 150 cm
Similar in style to Not Good Art… this is an earlier piece that combines elements of text with the free-flowing intuitive explorations of the broader Tabula Rasa series of paintings.
Text in Dedy’s works have evolved from being explicit conveyors of information as seen in the artists early works. Instead, textual elements in the artist’s paintings act as visual placeholders for viewers to develop their own insights, making one simultaneously a consumer and author of what is visually perceived.

Tabularasa #22.20 (2020)
Acrylic, Marker, Oil Stick and Pencil on Canvas
120 x 100 cm
Like its companion piece #25.20 this Tabula Rasa painting has been subject to many layers and cycles of application and extraction, until Dedy is satisfied with the look and feel that emanates. In it one can see traces of text and subtle figurations, plus a play of tones that suggest feelings and ideas a viewer may further develop and extrapolate as part of their contemplation when viewing this work.
The Tabula Rasa series, although born out of one artist’s intuitive drives, resonates with different people for different reasons. As with much of what Dedy creates, this artwork acts as a visual placeholder for the viewer to contemplate and viscerally connect, with whatever might be on their mind at the time of viewing.
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