Artist conversation: Moelyono

An artist conversation

Moelyono is an artist who is known for his long-term collaborations with communities, the stories and struggles of who he often shares through his works.

For The Soils Project he presents two paintings depicting Ludruk, a form of non-hierarchical people’s theatre founded in East Java, which satirises the performers’ everyday lives and challenges: whether struggles against eviction and hunger or trans women claiming their right to speak in public. These paintings are the result of a five-year collaboration with a group of Ludruk performers.

Moelyono has adapted idioms from this art form as it is a powerful way to express the problems of these communities and problems that are fundamentally close to their daily life.

The Soils Project closes 12 November 2023.

Visit TarraWarra’s Instagram to see photos of the exhibition.

Purchase The Soils Project publications

Header image: Moelyono, Berkaca Dulu, 2020, oil on canvas, 190x 270cm. Courtesy of the artist.