Interview with Urban Artist Shelly

Say Hi to Shelly!!!  

A cute girl with big smile, Shelly, is a urban artist from Malang Indonesia with a unique style that blends Wayang and her self and creates a sweet characters as she is. Her work has exhibited in a variety of exhibitions on Malang and Surabaya. So lets get into our great interview!!!

BRAngerous : If you were to describe your artwork to someone who’s never seen it, what would you say?
Shelly : The twins of Wayang, glasses, share a lot of happiness. 

BRAngerous : Could you tell us some more about your exhibition "Happy Shelly Day" at Colors Club & Resto?
Shelly : "Happy Shelly Day" is the way i celebrate my artwork, my feelings and also my birthday transformed into the colors and images on the canvas are my paintings. I explain that all the wayang characters mostly is me which can be described as alternate form to share my happiness. 

BRAngerous : A lot of your illustrations are very fun, what mainly inspires you to come up with these ideas?
Shelly : I think a lot of my inspiration comes from fun things. A lot of my inspiration also comes from doodling. I like to start with just a title and doodle around it until I have something that makes me smile. I want to show happiness on each my artwork.

BRAngerous : Your artwork is a sweet mix of twins Wayang characters wearing glasses, how do you manage to balance those character in your art?
Shelly : I've been adopting a story of Rama & Shinta approach to my art, especially their love story. I always describe Shinta as my self who have these awesome glasses then spread up the colors of happiness in my artwork. Starting with pencil, doodling, acrylic coloring and giving new touch on my artwork with glass media as my new experiment.  

BRAngerous : There’s a lot of focus on the Wayang form in your artwork.  What is it in particular that draws you to portraying that?
Shelly : It feels natural to me. Something I can’t get tired of. All my pieces, all my wayang, are a portrayal of their one particular being. Wayang is one of Indonesian culture, and i really love it. Wayang is my inspiration. 

BRAngerous : Do you set regular work hours for yourself? Is there a certain amount you like to produce in a given, say, week?
Shelly : No set hours. I just draw everything in my head, mainly focus on visual rather than a deep concept. 

BRAngerous : What’s next?
Shelly : I’m aiming to have some woman art exhibition in Malang, and maybe try to teach The Art & Culture at the university, have an art shop, and taking a part in art exhibition as usual. I just want to have more experience and experiment. I am also active in the art community such as Sanggar Minat (SAMIN) on Malang. 

BRAngerous : What advice would you give to someone who wants a single exhibition ?
Shelly : Just relax and try to show them who you are. We don't have to choose art gallery, of course we have many alternatives to show our artwork. I prefer to choose public area, such as Cafe, Distro, and others. 

See more of Shelly's work here.


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