Artist Achmad Toriq Paints Childhood Robot Memories on Canvas in Bandung Exhibition

Achmad Toriq's debut solo painting exhibition, 'Marginalia Lipatan Waktu' (Marginalia: Folds of Time), is currently on display at Galeri Ruang Dini in Bandung, Indonesia, until September 4, 2026. The exhibition presents more than a dozen acrylic paintings that explore the artist's reflections on joy and memory.

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This is a psychological record of mine that has carried over into adulthood.

Toriq, born in 1990, draws heavily from his childhood obsession with robot superhero figures and televised cartoons. Characters like Shogun, Gundam, Voltes, Robocop, and the Mandalorian are depicted in vibrant colors, rendered in a style reminiscent of children's drawings. These images originated from sketches Toriq made in the margins of his school notebooks during his elementary school years, inspired by cartoons, comics, and posters.

Since 2024, Toriq has been translating these childhood memories onto canvas. He textures the surfaces to mimic lined notebook paper, giving it a wavy, folded, and crumpled appearance. "This is a psychological record of mine that has carried over into adulthood," Toriq told Tempo. The artist explained that the inspiration for this body of work came from reflecting on the sources of happiness in his life, particularly his childhood.

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If I missed it because I was sent to the corner shop or told to take a bath, that moment of happiness would be lost.

Recalling his youth, Toriq remembers watching 30-minute cartoon series as a highlight, a stark contrast to today's on-demand viewing. He revisits these characters through nostalgia, re-watching series, reading literature, and exploring visual references. However, his artistic choices, from character selection to compositional elements, are guided by his imagination and intuition, diverging from his childhood drawing methods. "I try to draw with the naivety of a child, though I cannot deny that my mind has been influenced by the art knowledge I gained during college, for instance," he stated. Toriq acknowledges his current painting style differs from his earlier, more illustrative work.

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I try to draw with the naivety of a child, though I cannot deny that my mind has been influenced by the art knowledge I gained during college, for instance.