“In the Floating World” –by Indonesian artist, Irfan Winoto Dechan, inspired by the style of 19th century Japanese prints by Kunisada, whose eclectic paintings of Greek and Javanese mythical figures and legends mixed with oriental elements attempts to reconstruct the mysterious mythical world into a visually absurd depiction of a complex civilization. Dechan’s obsession with mythical themes reveals his inner struggle as a contemporary artist existing in the domain of tradition. While mythology is separated into comparative mythology (seeking similarities) and particular mythology (seeking differences), Dechan is more concerned about the similarities. To him, civilization constitutes one of the archetypal values, universal humanism. Dechan explains that through his paintings, he is seeking the void, the empty space in his identity, the tension between his roots, the conservative Javanese traditions and values, and the rising global influence, which values freedom and openness.

The term “In the Floating world”, is taken from the Japanese word “Ukiyo-e”, a popular artform of the Edo period, a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings from the 17th and the 20th centuries, often depicting landscapes, drama, a world of fleeting beauty.

In the painting series, we encounter the central figure of Bima, having the face of a character from the ancient Japanese tradition, struggling in Herculean legends. The narrative is presented in a flat illustrative style, utilizing variety of motifs, colors so as to achieve incredibly complex and detailed images. Even though Dechan has replaced the Japanese woodblock printing technique to another medium, acrylic on canvas, his paintings are convincing in depicting the myths of ancient times in a twisted manner, taking us to a new dimension or perspective of viewing history.