In early 2021 at the Srisasanti Syndicate Gallery in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Roby Dwi Antomo, an Indonesian contemporary artist born in 1990, held the fourth solo exhibition of his artistic career, Lucid Fragments-A Narrative About The Past. As a rising star in Indonesian contemporary art, Antono's artistic creation stems from his natural artistic drive and independent studies. In 2012, he was invited by the gallery to hold his first solo exhibition, which launched his career as a full-time artist. Antono's art mirrors contemporary society in Indonesia, featuring a historical background of diverse foreign cultures, stimulated by local customs, that incubate unique and amazing achievements.

When Antono first entered the art market, his style was considered to have been influenced by American lowbrow art. With his admiration for Mark Ryden and Marion Peck, Antono was equally adept at using absurd scenes and slightly mysterious classical temperaments to create a freakish and childlike fantasy style. His early works are highly refined, featuring doll-like images of girls and small animals. Through constant change and additional symbols, a variety of strange and lovely human-like creatures evoke the viewer's post-self-conscious inner feelings. Antono has since become synonymous with the "pop-surrealism" style.

In the latest series, Antono's imagination and Southeast Asian characteristics are incorporated into contemporary paintings with a distinctive style. During the COVID-19 outbreak, he spent more time making art, reflecting on the scenery and memories of his childhood in his hometown of Ambarawa and exploring his own trajectory. Departing from the retro sepia tones of the past, Antono's world now seems to sport a red filter, with various shades and contrasts highlighting the line contours under the main tone. Like a rainforest version of Alice in Wonderland, small animals with huge eyes as blue as deep pools harmoniously have a picnic with Altman, Snow Monster, Batman and other super flat generation heroes.

Surrounded by dark green tropical forests, broad-leaved plants and exotic flowers, one can't help but be reminded of Henri Rousseau, a post-impressionist painter who is also a self-taught talent known for the innocent appearances of his original style. Looking directly at the viewer, the human-like elves serve as the single theme, characteristic of Antono's art. The elves hold crocodiles, bobcats, or cut-out fish bellies, with large heads out of proportion to their bodies like babies. The general profile approach of Wild Animals may be the thinking process of the artist in exploring the comprehensive contemporary expression of the animal nature of the human or inner self.

The artist's personal exhibition catalogue, compiled by Gen-Z curator Nin Djani, analyzes in detail the advanced implications of different media, such as painting, oil painting and pastel, for Antono's artistic creation. In addition to displaying the visual effects that the medium can show, such as how charcoal evokes the artist's childhood memories as the son of a blacksmith, it also affects the creator's emotional performance and recalls the transition between past and present. Although Antono never received a traditional college education, his creative enthusiasm and independent study have driven him to boldly and freely experiment with various media. He is also familiar with graphic design and computer technology, expanding his ability to shape characteristic roles. He cooperated with doll manufacturers to step out of the field of graphic creation and spread his popularity and influence at different levels. In Paris, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Jakarta, New York, Melbourne, Manila, Taipei, and other major cities, Antono has been leaving his artistic footprints all over the world, leaving the world looking forward to his future development.