Index of Loneliness is a self-initiated illustration project that turns academic research on loneliness into a series of watercolor portraits anyone can recognize themselves in.

The project draws on Peplau and Perlman’s 1979 theory, centring on “social discrepancy” — the gap between what we expect from our relationships and what we actually get — as the real root of feeling lonely, whether caused by physical separation or a change in status like retirement or job loss.

The challenge was translating an academic framework into something visual and personal, optimistic enough to help people cope with loneliness rather than just illustrate it.

The project, titled Index of Loneliness: The Early Stage, is built around a simple colour system: a gradient grid running from warm red-orange (happy, as expected) to cool blue (sad, not as expected) maps out different levels of social discrepancy. That logic carries through twenty watercolor illustrations, figures dealing with heartbreak, social media validation, isolation, and small daily rituals, each coloured somewhere along that same warm-to-cool scale.

Original Artwork Details
Dimension : 24 x 24 cm (20 pcs)
Medium : Water Color on
Montval Paper

The project, titled Index of Loneliness: The Early Stage, is built around a simple colour system: a gradient grid running from warm red-orange (happy, as expected) to cool blue (sad, not as expected) maps out different levels of social discrepancy. That logic carries through twenty watercolor illustrations, figures dealing with heartbreak, social media validation, isolation, and small daily rituals, each coloured somewhere along that same warm-to-cool scale.

This section would explain about loneliness itself. From its meaning, its reason, and to how to deal with it. Even so I want to focus on the reasons why humans can be in the loneliness phase. The content will be spelled out in the form of a poster with the main medium of paper. Each poster contain a statement of how lonely people seems feels.

Original Artwork Details
Dimension : 29.7 x 42 cm (27 pcs)
Medium : Ink, Ecoline, Acrylic on Various Paper, Document Holder.

In this section, I want to explain about Resolution of Loneliness. This phase focuses on what actions may be performed to handle loneliness by people who are experiencing it. There are 3 main actions that are most commonly performed, namely:

A) Establish relationships those are stronger than previously owned (dating or married)

B) Conducting activities or tasks those are liked and comfortable to do alone (writing, drawing, etc).

C) Build a one-way relationship, a ‘surrogate relationship’, with a person or a fictional character. Generally happened by fans to their idol such as idolizing actors, singers, boy band members, the character from comic book or films, etc.

Original Artwork Details
Dimension : 80 x 80 cm (2pcs), 60 x 100 cm (1 pc)
Medium : Car Paint on Wood

The series was exhibited at LIR Space in Yogyakarta, curated by Dito Yuwono.

Loneliness, mapped one colour at a time.

Turning a research paper into a personal visual language was an early step toward treating illustration as a way to process ideas, not just decorate them.