A bedtime story about talking animals, wooden puppets, and princesses with glass slippers. Googly eyes and brightly colored lines that loop around itself. A personal manifestation that keeps you going.

These may all seem like simple, everyday things, but for artist and illustrator Roboto Reo, none of these are simply ordinary.

“As a rather new artist, I’ve tried so many different things, but throughout that journey I discovered the importance of being aware of my own limits, embracing the ordinary state of myself. It’s my own special way of being true to myself.”

It’s one of the ways he creates conversations around his artistry with his three-year-old son—something simple and familiar, yet reinvented through Reo’s own quirky lens. These ideas create the ethos behind Nothing Ordinary, his art studio Arbiaro’s sophomore exhibition in collaboration with dessert bar Nothing Personal, the latest of online art marketplace Meramu.id’s many efforts in spotlighting emerging Indonesian artists.

Infused into Meramu’s intimate space in Lamandau, South Jakarta are Reo’s illustrations, from classic fairytale iconography in Toy Town to The Glitch’s whimsical, uncanny clowns and the geometrical monstrosities of Demonology. But his artistry doesn’t stop on paper; it extends even to the woodwork framing the prints, the color blocking and playful shapes all meticulously crafted as part of the artwork itself, as well as the beadwork that adds a touch of rustic playfulness. Some illustrations are even turned into hand-stitched embroidery, all done in-house with the team at Arbiaro.

Nothing Ordinary also prominently features Reo’s signature Scriblets, a string of doodle creations born out of meaningful and important mantras shared by his Instagram followers, appearing as bag charms, postcards, stickers, T-shirts, and even coasters and aprons. “It’s born out of this idea that even the most abstract of shapes can be interesting, that even the most spontaneous can be meaningful. What better way to materialize that than through one’s inner thoughts?” revealed Reo.

It makes these Scribbets an ideal medium for Reo’s artistic crossover with the creative desserts whipped up in Nothing Personal’s kitchen. These doodles become a key visual feature of “Ordinary Emotions,” a birthday cake of yellow sponge layered with vanilla cream and rainbow sprinkles. Another version called “Ordinary Shapes”—a banana-and-chocolate-flavored rendition—replaces the Scriblets with equally playful geometrical shapes, which are found in some of Reo’s art prints.

"Even the most abstract of shapes can be interesting, even the most spontaneous can be meaningful."

But, above all, Nothing Personal is known for their unorthodox twists on gelato flavors, and the “Ordinary Split” keeps the spirit alive. It boasts a scoop of each: the decadently umami Miso Chocolate, creamy Vanilla Bean, and zesty Salted Caramel Apple, served alongside a brûléed banana and crumble. “It’s fun to find the middle ground between two distinct brands that have different identities,” shared Reo, “and we found that sweet spot to be something simple, familiar, and relevant—something to be shared between children and adults alike.”

Through this first-time cross-industry collaboration, Reo challenged the definition of his own ordinariness. Still, pushing past the self-doubting and negative thoughts clouding his mind, one mantra remained:

“Just stay ordinary.”

And that’s exactly what you would find if you were to experience—and even taste—his artistry in this collaborative exhibit.

Nothing Ordinary will be running until Sunday, August 24, 2025 at Meramu Artspace and Nothing Personal.