The Dragons Kingdom
2024 | traditional ink on acid-free paper
Darren Chandra (born in Bogor, 2002) is known to suffer from Asperger's Syndrome, one of the autism spectrums which affects his ability to communicate and socialize well since the age of 3 years. He spent a lot of free time watching cartoons and reading picture books in his childhood. From this habit, Darren discovered a passion for drawing which also helped him to find comfort in enjoying everyday life. Darren's expertise is expressed in several illustration projects to add to his experience. Darren also has an interest in learning other mediums such as painting in order to create works that can be enjoyed by the wider public.
Some of the exhibitions and projects he has participated in include KITAONEUS World Autism Day group exhibition (2024), a collaborative exhibition between disabled artists and Yogyakarta fine arts maestro Art With Heart in Ashta District Jakarta (2023) and Kouji Genki Project (2022).
Darren Chandra has been actively drawing since an early age and as someone with autism syndrome drawing helps him to communicate and interact with his surroundings easily. Now he is in high school and is increasingly engaging in creative activities, one of which is working as a young illustrator.
He describes a fantasy kingdom inhabited by a creature with a dragon figure. For him this figure represents a contrast of perspectives - a wild animal roaming in the wild but at the same time represents a figure of prosperity. A dragon that acts as the personification of the human world who always wants to be figures of power, colonize, and build glorification of big narratives. This depiction of dragons also often appears to signify a benevolent but also dangerous nature, representing the good and bad fortunes that befall humans. Like an important node in historical narratives represents some kind of prediction of the good and bad fate that befalls humans, while a palace and a temple represent the strength and will of humans in the way they deal with the good and bad events in their lives.
