Suria Mahdiana / Surialism

Suria is an illustrator based in Bogor, West Java. 

Using predominantly pen and ink on paper, he brought us the new level of visual through his beautiful-poetic-intricate drawing.

His body of work is inspired by Astronautboys, Shohei Otomo, Pat Perry, João Ruas, and Aaron Horkey.

Additionally, Suria maintains a strong professional work ethic that has been a driving force behind his artistic journey.

His ideas come from the natural world around him, particular movie scene/dialogue, music arrangement ie: "The Last Man" by Clint Mansell, "On The Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter, until the open-world video game environtment such as The Last Of Us and Red Dead Redemption 2.

These diverse musical and visual influences have built his abstract-surrealist muscle memory and vocabulary into works of art that were truly transcendental.

Baroness' 'Choir' Artwork for their Stone cover art.

He can spend days or even months completing a work. It all begins with drawing on small paper as a thumbnail, where he meticulously perfects each line and stroke. This visual transcript is then transferred to a larger medium.

At a certain point, Suria has reached a new phase in his creative process and discovered a unique method to push the boundaries even further.

Instead of arranging a conceptual framework and composition, he allows his hands to dance freely, finding their own direction.

After identifying certain reference points, he organizes them into a larger area. Then, he identifies the next points that form a unit, repeating this process continuously. This process results in abstract-surrealist style works, as evident in 'Kebun Memori I' and 'Kebun Memori II' as well as his latest work for Baroness's tour merchandise.

'Kebun Memori II'

"Like the universe, which continues to evolve, whether advancing or retreating, there must be an end" he said.

He strives to fill the gaps between connected points, preserving the uniqueness of each point, which is distinct from the others but remains bound together on the same sheet.

"Let's dig into it until we're exhausted", a thought crosses his mind. Through absolute abstraction, anomaly, and perhaps unpredictability, he surrenders to his hands, pouring out as much detail as possible of everything he's seen and felt up to this moment. It's a transformation of memory, an unlimited interpretation in free space.

A macrocosmic phenomenon revealed through microcosmic awareness.

'Palm Tree Corpse'

'Palm Tree Corpse' Preorder will be available on June 28th 2025.

You can find out more about Suria's completed artwork and see his behind the process through his personal Instagram.