“Putri is an artist who submitted a painting for Art:1’s Community Program, “Beyond the Canvas: Reimagining Still Life in the 21st Century.” The title of her painting is The Red Room.

As a kindergarten and elementary school teacher, she has been inspired by children’s imaginations and their fearless approach to drawing. Putri aims to capture the interplay between the ordinary and the symbolic, breaking traditional composition in her exploration of still life.

Created with gouache and acrylic, The Red Room features a vibrant color palette and strong forms that reflect the rawness of everyday life. The red background contrasts with intricate objects like books and plants, serving as reminders of courage and inspiration, often derived from the narratives that shape her understanding of the world, such as Laksmi Pamuntjak’s novel.

Each object holds specific meaning in the dialogue of the piece—a plant spilling over to signify the importance of connecting with nature, a Nirvana sticker on her sketchbook, an Amélie movie poster, and more—all suggesting layers of her subconscious. This work invites viewers to linger and reconsider the everyday, questioning how well they know themselves and how much they reveal to the world.

By juxtaposing modern and timeless symbols, Putri provokes thought about the meaning assigned to objects and how they shape our stories. Her work reimagines the essence of still life for the 21st century, charging the mundane with emotion, memory, and narrative depth. Through The Red Room, she engages viewers in a dialogue between nostalgia and contemporary life, embodying both childlike freedom and mature reflection.”