A playful yet thought provoking exhibition that invites viewers into a shifting landscape of imagination, curiosity, and expressive storytelling

ISA Art Gallery presents a new solo exhibition titled Hoarse Horse, featuring recent works by Indo Australian artist Ida Lawrence. Offering a reflective yet imaginative experience, the exhibition takes place at ISA Art Gallery, Wisma 46, Central Jakarta, from November 29, 2025 to February 7, 2026.

Through Hoarse Horse, Ida Lawrence creates a visual world populated by a diverse cast of creatures, including playful foxes, watchful birds of prey, and horses that embody both strength and vulnerability. These figures appear in a series of narrative paintings that merge imagery, storytelling, and wordplay. Using expressive gestures and a strong sense of visual rhythm, Lawrence builds an environment where humor and tension exist side by side, resulting in an atmosphere that feels engaging while remaining slightly uneasy.

The exhibition’s title stems from Lawrence’s personal experience while assisting at a children’s camp. During this time, she became intrigued by the way language transforms through constant repetition, allowing meanings to fade, shift, or change altogether. This linguistic phenomenon forms the conceptual basis of the exhibition, where misunderstandings, errors, and misheard words are embraced as sources of creative potential. Language is approached not as a fixed structure, but as a flexible and open field for exploration.

The exhibition features thirteen paintings that are treated as active presences rather than static objects. Positioned throughout the gallery space, the works appear to hang, perch, and interact with the surrounding architecture. Through bold colors, visual symbols, and improvisational patterns, Lawrence develops a visual language rich in curiosity and anecdote. Each canvas is approached as an evolving entity, carrying traces of its previous forms.

Hoarse Horse is further expanded through public programs, including an artist talk and a sonic response by musician and composer Khaled Kurbeh. His contribution blends cowbell sounds, bird whistles, field recordings, and electro acoustic textures, enhancing the exhibition’s sensory dimension.

Now based in Berlin, Ida Lawrence draws on her experiences as an Australian diaspora artist, including her period of study at ISI Yogyakarta. Rather than centering on a single theme, Hoarse Horse unfolds as an honest visual journal. By embracing animalistic elements and playful absurdity, the exhibition highlights how art can emerge from disorder, instinct, and the courage to reflect life as it is.

photo source: instagram.com/isaart.id and instagram.com/idalawrencee

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