Hudi Alfa

Hudi Alfa (b.1969 in Indonesia) is an impressionist, figurative and realist painter. There are some of his paintings with some abstract elements. In his paintings he often establishes direct connections between his characters and their surroundings, creating artworks that explore various social issues prevalent in today's society. Affandi once said that the idea of creating 'fantasy into the painting process is akin to hunting for something based on superstition. Hudi Alfachuri, or Hudi Alfa born in 1969, shares a similar approach to Affandi. Hudi is a painter who focuses on depicting activities that are far removed from fantasy, as evident in his works from the last decade, where he explores themes of everyday reality. His painting that stresses anti-fantasy is “Urban Solitary,” which won as one of the best artworks in UOB Painting of the year 2018. To the artist, the inability of urban areas to support its growing population and the rapid growth of industrial and technological development have resulted in severe environmental and social problems, such as deterioration in the air quality and environmental pollution. People living in these conditions become increasingly individualistic as they box themselves up in urban buildings and apartments, going through daily routines in poor environmental conditions. The result is the rise of solitary urban dwellers that have lost the ability to be social, depicted here as a lonely, helpless urban man who is forced to wear a mask to survive in a polluted, crowded city.

The black and white painting depicts a man in a vast field surrounded by towering piles of trash filled with discarded technological and electronic products. The garbage is so overwhelming and unsettling that the man, caught in the midst of the "light of modernity," is forced to wear a mask to breathe. Painted in a contemplative pose, his body language suggests he is deeply focused on finding a way to confront the harsh reality around him.
In “Urban Solitary,” Hudi delivers a powerful message about the technology revolution, which has overwhelmed our civilisation with a variety of advanced devices. However, this progress has deliberately overlooked the negative consequences of electronic waste. As Ibrahim Shaffi, Technical Program Officer for the Secretariat of the Basal Convention, points out, this negligence contributes to the growing global warming crisis threatening out planet.

Hudi is a talented painter with exceptional brushwork skills, allowing him to explore a wide range of painting genres and styles. He views his skill as a gift that must be nurtured and shared at the right moment. As a result, alongside his impressive realist paintings, Hudi has also ventured into semi-abstract and even fully abstract works. What makes his art particularly intriguing is that its themes often center around the lives of ordinary people. His subjects include scenes such as a table in the corner of a home, a bustling corner of a studio, a neighbor playing the cello, a girl combing her hair, a heartbroken young woman, an old tree in a field, the interior of a train station, and more.

Hudi's quick brushstrokes and the dynamic use of a palette knife infuse his paintings with a vibrant burst of color from all directions. Despite being a self-taught artist, Hudi possesses the ability to paint with the precision of an academically trained realist. His mastery of visual control allows him to know when to stop, resulting in artworks that are both precise and measured, with a perfect balance in composition and harmony among elements.

Hudi Alfa is an artist who has never confined himself to the narrow boundaries of traditional art. Instead, he has always followed his passion with complete freedom, which has earned him recognition as a true artist. His works are highly sought after by collectors, both in Indonesia and internationally. Notable auction houses such as 33 Auction (Singapore, Indonesia), Masterpiece (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia), and Edge Auction (Malaysia), among others, have successfully sold his art.