The abstract artist Umi Dachlan (1942-2009) is an emblematic figure of Indonesia’s post-independence art world. At a time when the country’s political tensions seeped into aesthetic debates, her paintings navigated the fine lines between nationalism, religion and modernity. Having experienced the height of ideological conflict, she created artworks that reflected on the universal state of humanity. This publication offers a fresh overview of Dachlan’s artistic process and outlines her place in the story of Indonesian abstraction. Examining her output from the 1960s to the late 1990s, ‘Umi Dachlan: Metaphors for Humanity’ addresses her absence within the larger narrative of Indonesian art history. The book showcases an extensive selection of her work and includes essays in English, Bahasa Indonesia and Chinese.