If Widodo walks into a gallery, you would not be too far off if you thought the cook the caterer hired is checking on the food to ensure that all is well. In the art colony that Yogyakarta has developed into, Widodo has a stew café in the front portion of his private residence. Of course above the few tables where guests gather to enjoy food authentic to Central Java are Widodo's paintings.

Widodo's easy approach to life is reflected in his unpretentious approach to art. With Indonesian contemporary art rising in recognition and price following the explosion of Chinese contemporary art, Indonesian artists have begin to imitate what Chinese contemporary artists are doing, incorporating big philosophical narrative to their works. Widodo prefers to embrace simple everyday objects or situations in his subject matter. This is not to say that simple is not powerful. In fact, his canvases are reflections of his life's hardship and experiences, seen through an artist journey with his country's political and social issues.

Take a signature piece, the 150X150 cm piece titled 'Soto is My Life'. Here Widodo pays tribute to the image of a red bowl complete with a large white ladle with a blue that dominates. Unlike other artists who paint pretty pictures, Widodo gives the background a shade of pale and dirty green, not what most contemporary Indonesian artists would do. Widodo provides his work with various readable texts. They serve to complete the story of his 'bowl of stew' narration. In his story, audience may find narration of 'pepper', 'fresh beef', 'duck spoon', 'raw bean sprouts' and a host of other texts that are not easily readable. Visually, the painting is intended to act as a 'charade'; a bowl of stew is similar to life. Life comprises of many different problems; the one that needs to be tasted, chewed and swallowed, however difficult. The result of his 'stew philosophy' through his canvas is a piece of work that refuses to be categorized.

If his bowl of stew illustrates the philosophy of life, his 'Made in China' piece illustrates a bigger problem that he deems important. The painting gives the impression of a bicycle being stripped off its body parts. Using text, Widodo describes the anatomy of a bicycle: fender, tire, rung, gear, pedal, brake etc. Widodo sees his 'Made in China' as a problem bigger than his 'Stew is My Life'. The bicycle which is common to most households is usually left at the corner of one's house. The bicycle symbolizes the dependency of a nation on others. A simple mode of transportation such as the bicycle narrates the failure of a nation that is unable to solve minor problems, like building a proper mode of simple transportation.

Widodo's art and his narrative are unlike most of the trendy Indonesian artists today. While his approach is seemingly easy, it hides a very dogged philosophy not to be dictated. So it is difficult to categorize him in any group as his art is the art of pursuing artistic independence. And in creating free forms, Widodo differentiates himself from the banality of his contemporaries. This willingness to take risk has critics saying that Widodo has the potential to be a leading artist, in a class all his own.