Every morning for years, Liffi Wongso kept a notebook beside her bed. Before the day could wash it away, she'd write down whatever she dreamed. Then she'd paint it.

That habit — so simple, so private — became the foundation of one of Indonesia's most distinctive visual voices. Liffi Wongso, born in 1997 in Indonesia, is an artist and illustrator who started her career by illustrating her dreams. As the only child in the family, one of her ways to tell people about her feelings was by visualizing them in illustrations.

Today, her watercolor paintings hang in galleries in Paris and Amsterdam. They appear on the packaging of luxury jewelry brands. And — less glamorously — they've been mass-printed onto cheap cups sold on Walmart, Shein, and Shopee without her knowledge or consent.

This is the full story of Liffi Wongso.

Who Is Liffi Wongso, the Indonesian Illustrator?

Liffi Wongso is an Indonesian artist who began her career by illustrating her dreams. She has always been fascinated by how plants appear in nature — their shapes, forms, and colors. As a proud woman, she enjoys incorporating feminine aspects into her favorite flowers and leaves, leading her to depict young maidens surrounded by natural settings, rendered in vibrant color palettes. Her artistic style is influenced by contemporary illustration and manga.

She studied Communication and Visual Design at Bunda Mulia University in Jakarta, Indonesia. But the real education happened at night, in dreams, and on paper.

Stand in front of one of her large watercolor canvases — like the 150 x 100 cm pieces from her 2025 collection — and you feel it: lush greens bleeding into soft golds, a maiden's face half-hidden by tropical leaves, the whole image humming with something just out of reach. It doesn't look like illustration. It looks like memory.

How Did Liffi Wongso Build an International Career?

Liffi Wongso's work has been exhibited internationally, including in Amsterdam, Paris, and Manila, expanding her presence in the global art scene. Beyond her role as a visual artist, she has ventured into commercial illustration, collaborating with brands such as Gramedia, Frank & Co., and Bank Mandiri. 

Her exhibition history reads like a passport full of stamps. Selected shows include Asian Influence at Straat x Thinkspace in Amsterdam (2024), Here Comes The Sun at Galerie Zberro in Paris (2023), Secret Fresh x Thinkspace in Manila (2024), and the Art Exchange at Unknown Asia in Osaka, Japan. 

Her most recent solo exhibition, Odyssey: Hearth & Mire, opened at Tirtodipuran Link Building A in Yogyakarta, running from 6 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, presented by Srisasanti Gallery. The show explored the tension between "hearth" — warmth and safety at home — and "mire" — the heavy, damp sensation of soil underfoot. Between those two feelings is where Liffi says she lives. 

The Surprising Truth: Going Viral for the Wrong Reason

Here is the counterintuitive part. The moment that brought Liffi Wongso to the widest audience wasn't a gallery opening or a brand collaboration. It was theft.

Chinese businesses copied and reproduced her artwork — originally created for an exclusive Indonesian brand — without her permission. The copies were of her painting of the Kecombrang flower and related artworks. Initially, this painting was licensed to a luxury jewelry company in Indonesia for use on their packaging. Later, the artworks appeared on mass-produced cups made in China, sold on major global e-commerce platforms including Walmart, Shein, and Shopee. 

She found it hard to take legal action against perpetrators in China, so Liffi expressed her concerns through a viral TikTok video that reached 1.8 million views. An organization called Justice for Artists later found her and offered support.

"My work was stolen and I spoke up about it on TikTok, but some of the responses I got... those kinds of comments make other artists whose work has also been stolen afraid and ashamed to speak up."

She spoke up anyway. That's the point.

What Makes Liffi Wongso's Art Style Unique?

Liffi Wongso is a surrealist illustrator who has been creating since 2012. Her work is mostly based on her dreams — a habit born from keeping a notebook beside her bed to write down her dreams every morning. She brings her own virtual dream world to life using a colorful palette and organic elements. 

The result is art that feels both local and universal. The Kecombrang flower — a distinctly Indonesian bloom — appears beside maidens who could belong to any culture. It's Southeast Asian sensibility in a global visual language.