In July 2013, together with a Southeast Asian art collector, I had the honor of embarking on a tour of Indonesian art. On this tour, I met Mr. Budi Ubrux, an Indonesian (Yogyakarta) artist. His artwork left a lasting impression on me.

　　Local art friends arranged for us to visit art galleries and private collectora in the Yogyakarta area. We would often share our thoughts and interpretations with each other while appreciating the various art collections. Nevertheless, when we visited Mr Ubrux’s studio, a huge oil painting which depicted a group of “newspaper people” performing the renowned Chinese dragon dance was so stunning that it left us speechless. The art piece was of such magnificence that we just gawked and stared.

　　Finally, I blurted out in Mandarin, 'Is this your work?', breaking the silence in the studio. Mr Ubrux appeared to be baffled and stared blankly at me, but finally he returned a smile. This was when I realised how silly my question sounded, as Mr. Ubrux was not Chinese. Then it dawned on me that Mr. Ubrux did not speak mandarin; however, I was still surprised that he did not speak the langague as the painting was full of Chinese characters!

　　The translator kindly stepped in to assist and from him, we began to understand Mr Ubrux's life story. Having an insatiable love for drawing since young, the native Indonesian artist persisted in furthering his art education despite coming from a humble background. His dream to enter the Academy of Fine Arts was shattered several times as the school felt that he looked too immature and young. Nonetheless, after being rejected for the fourth time, he decided to add a dramatic touch by drawing a beard on his face before going for his admission interview. This ingenious beard, together with his innate talent for painting, was what it took for him to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts.

　　With four years of professional training, he was able to master the various techniques of drawing and painting. However, he was not satisfied with the standard drawing techniques. He wanted to achieve a breakthrough and interestingly, despite not being able to read or write Mandarin, he chose to incorporate Chinese culture into his art. His passion for Chinese culture stemmed from media influences, and his genuine desire to learn more about China was apparent. I even glimpsed a book on Mao in his studio.

　　I had a revelation: this native Indonesian artist who did not understand a single Chinese word was able to painstakingly draw a typical Chinese celebration scene and re-produce Chinese words which were unintelligible to him on to the canvas. Every single Chinese word he wrote on this artwork reflected his passion and determination to express how grand and joyous a Chinese celebration should be like. At that moment, I felt immense pride for China, and was humbled by Mr. Ubrux who moved all of us through his artwork.

　　Mr. Ubrux’s masterpiece left a deep impression on me. I am truly inspired and determined to share Mr Ubrux's work and dedication to art with everyone. It is inspiring to me that in a small city in Indonesia, an aspiring artistwho is not ethnically Chinese and cannot understand Mandarin has brought to life Chinese traditions and celebrations. Through his art, Chinese people all over the world can appreciate the richness of their culture.

　　Cheng Yajie

　　Singapore

　　15th July 2013