RRI.CO.ID, Bantul- The conversation around identity takes center stage in Identity and Identification, the latest solo exhibition by Jakarta-born artist Chandra Rosselinni, held at Kiniko Art in Bantul, Yogyakarta.

Curated by Bambang “Toko” Witjaksono, the show presents a body of work that is as much about personal reckoning as it is about broader questions of inclusivity, gender, and the human condition.

Rather than beginning with the artist’s biography, the exhibition opens with a challenge: to distinguish between “identity”, the way one defines oneself, and “identification", the labels imposed by society.

Chandra insists that identity is not fixed but fluid, asking viewers to consider whether the person they were yesterday is the same as the one they are today.

This philosophical inquiry underpins his second solo exhibition, following a 2024 debut at Kedai Kebun that introduced audiences to his exploration of intersex narratives.

Chandra’s journey is deeply intertwined with his art. Born in West Jakarta in 1995, he grew up moving between cities -- Bogor, Depok, East Jakarta, and later Cilegon -- following his parents’ separation.

Raised largely by his mother, he witnessed resilience amid hardship and the absence of a father figure. His life took a dramatic turn in 2015, when he was diagnosed with Klinefelter Syndrome, a genetic condition involving an extra X chromosome (47, XXY), that reshaped his understanding of self.

“I was born twice,” he reflects, “first as a girl in Jakarta, then again as a teenage boy in Yogyakarta,” Chandra said, Monday, April 13, 2026.

The years following the diagnosis were fraught with rejection from both his environment and his own internal struggle. The diagnosis brought both clarity and conflict.

For years, Chandra wrestled with rejection and self-blame, navigating a world that sought to normalize him rather than help him understand himself.

Art became his refuge -- a journal of emotions rendered in charcoal and pencil. He favors these mediums for their immediacy and fragility, believing that the vulnerability of charcoal mirrors the human spirit. His monochromatic style, influenced by the industrial landscapes of Cilegon, has become his signature.

The exhibition unfolds across two floors. On the first, visitors encounter INTIP, a series of 15 lithographs that fragment the human face into eyes, noses, and mouths. These partial glimpses suggest not self-reflection but a cautious peering at the world, raising questions about visibility and concealment.

Upstairs, the Portrait Fragments and Trellis series delve into memory and identity, incorporating childhood photographs and motifs of iron bars. A foot stepping on an egg becomes a metaphor for fragility, while silhouettes resist binary gender labels, offering instead a more nuanced human form.

Other works, such as the Growth, Objects, and Folded series, explore dependence and concealment. Figures entwined with plants, buried under household items, or obscured by canvas folds evoke melancholy yet elevate everyday objects into symbols of resilience.

Chandra’s experimentation with scale and format -- life-sized silhouettes and folded canvases inspired by old documents -- pushes his practice into new territory.

Running from April 11 to 26, 2026, the exhibition showcases works created since 2019 and is open free to the public. An artist talk on April 16 will feature Chandra alongside prominent figures Mella Jaarsma and Ugo Untoro, promising deeper dialogue on the themes at play.

This exhibition serves as a brave new chapter for Chandra, as he moves away from old themes to experiment with new messages, forms, and mediums. "I hope visitors have diverse impressions so that discussions can arise," he concluded.

For Chandra, this moment marks a transition: no longer solely an artist in flux, he emerges as a voice articulating the complexities of identity in contemporary Indonesia.

With Identity and Identification, Chandra Rosselinni invites audiences not only to witness his personal journey but also to confront their own. In doing so, he positions himself as a significant young artist whose work resonates far beyond the gallery walls. ***