Joni Ramlan, Untitled (Doodles), Undated

Acrylic on canvas
200 x 155 cm 
Condition: Very good
Invoice available

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Joni Ramlan (Indonesian, b. 1970) is a painter known for moving from early cityscape realism to a more expressive, abstract visual language. Self-taught, he began painting in the late 1980s, first focusing on old buildings, colonial walls, and the atmosphere of the towns he grew up around. Over time he shifted toward abstraction, concentrating on fragments, textures, and symbolic everyday objects such as bicycles, guitars, or architectural details. His work is defined by energetic lines, layered colour, and a strong sense of emotional depth.

Throughout his career he has exhibited widely across Indonesia and abroad, earning notable recognition including being named East Java’s Most Outstanding Fine Artist in 2012. He has held several solo shows, participated in major group exhibitions, and reached a career milestone when his work was selected for the Beijing International Art Biennale in 2017, where one painting was acquired by the National Museum of China. Today he continues to explore memory, place, and personal narratives through an increasingly intuitive and introspective abstract style.

I bought this piece because I was attracted to the happy and child-like vibe the piece exudes, despite being painted mainly in black and white. I thought this was very unique, as most child-like paintings come in vibrant colours.

The artist's impression of his childhood village reminds me of my old childhood days growing up in a small town in Malaysia, where joy and laughter came from the simple things in life and from nature — flowers, farm animals, village huts — something that's becoming an increasing scarcity in a developed city like Singapore.

We are looking for a new owner as we are moving and the new place can't accommodate the size of this painting.

(Photographed in October 2025)