Portrait of Goenawan Mohamad; Poet man of letters and activist

Credit Line: Gift of the Artist 2012, Collection of SMU

Indra Leonardi is one of Indonesia's leading portrait photographers. In November 2012, he had his first solo exhibition in Singapore titled "Bits of Me – Portraits by Indra Leonardi" at de Suantio Gallery. He exhibited a series titled ‘Indonesian Portraits', which he has been working on since the 1990s. The series is a testament to both the photographer's craft and his sensitivity to his sitters. It features Indonesian thinkers, artists, business leaders and statesmen, and can be viewed at the Administration Building and Office of Core Curriculum.

On the exhibition caption for the artwork, Indra Leonardi says of the portrait:

"The inspiration for this shot came when Goenawan was telling me about how he admires Picasso's work. As we chatted, an image of a bare-chested Picasso flashed in my mind and I persuaded Goenawan into a similar pose."

Goenawan Mohamad was also interviewed in SMU's Narratives of Asia. The transcript can be accessed at https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/isl_dna/1