This newspaper article is about our exhibition. The following is the English translation: Indonesian Painting for Intimate Geographies
Naples. Eddie Hara (pictured), born in Salatiga in 1957, is an Indonesian painter who now lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. He studied at the Indonesian Institute of Yogyakarta and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Enschede, in the Netherlands, combining Eastern and European cultures in his work.
He has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Cuba, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, China, the United States and elsewhere, developing a body of work and a creativity that encourage viewers to reflect on global issues such as politics, feminism, sexism, war, poverty and racism. His works are held in collections such as the Singapore Art Museum and the Museum der Kulturen Basel in Switzerland, as well as in private foundations and galleries around the world.
Currently invited by the University of Naples “L’Orientale” for a meeting within the seminar Fragments of Indonesia, the artist was also a guest last Saturday at “Il Ramo d’Oro” in Via Omodeo 124, Vomero, for the initiative organized by Vincenzo Montella entitled Intimate Geographies, an exhibition still ongoing.
The works on display—alongside masters such as Tuyasa Kutuh, Setyo Mardiyantoro, Gede Sayur, Antonius Kho and Widodo Kabutdo—share a rich and immersive painting style, made of curved lines, soft figures and intensely inhabited surfaces.
As Montella himself explains, their works move across different registers, from decorative bird painting to more intense social themes, reaching visionary and dreamlike territories. It is an invitation to enter personal and cultural geographies, where the sign becomes narrative.
How was the encounter with Eddie Hara? As often happens in his practice, Eddie involved those present in a small creative workshop, transforming the meeting into a moment of shared exploration. The evening was also documented with photographs and videos that are part of the series From Documentary to Selfie.
