Loster was born in 1981 from the village of Kelusa Payangan in Bali. Surrounded by painters of the traditional “keliki” style, Loster being painting since the age of 10. The “keliki” style is distinct for the delicate details with deep tones on a miniature scale. Loster paints recurringly images of deities like Saraswati and Ganesha from the Balinese Hindhu pantheon.
For thirteen years, Loster lives with paranoid schizophrenia, stabilized by psychiatric medicine. During relapses, he would suffer from disorganized thoughts and speech. The condition affects his day to day life and social circle, but his determination to create his artworks persists. When asked what his childhood nickname “Loster” means, he replied – “It is something that helps air ventilation.”
Painting became a medium of therapy for me because by painting I focus on the painting and at that time I forget about the problem and with my detailed painting style makes me balanced with problems and art.
“ Even though I am a person with paranoid schizophrenia, I still create. Because by painting I can be balanced in living my life. Every time I finish a work, I feel a sense of pride and satisfaction, because through art I can support my family’s economy. Even though I am underestimated and useless in my community, in every stigma directed at me. Schizofriends Art Movement is a place of inspiration for me to show the art that I live and bridge my work to the wider world, because art does not look at class or degree but the work itself has spoken or told a story.”
CERITA adalah proses kolaborasi kreatif untuk menghidupkan kembali tradisi Indonesia menjadi nafas kontemporer. Mengambil inspirasi dari alam Indonesia dan keragaman tradisinya, CERITA memposisikan dirinya sebagai “bumbu kehidupan” yang menghubungkan kisah masa lalu, masa kini dan masa depan.
Cerita KAMASAN merupakan hasil kolaborasi I Ketut Suendra, seniman Kamasan, desainer multidisiplin Venty Vergianti dan Puri Ardini (Studio Alun Biru) melalui program pendampingan Gerakan Kreabilitas pada tahun 2019.
Profile Pak Suendra
Pak Suendra merupakan seniman Kamasan yang berasal dari Klungkung, Bali. Ia senang menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam untuk melukis dengan menggunakan teknik tradisional yang sudah dikenalnya sejak ia duduk di bangku kelas 4 SD. Melalui kolaborasinya bersama dengan Venty dan Puri, Pak Suendra berhasil keluar dari zona nyaman dalam melukis wayang kamasan. Dalam proses produksinya, Pak Suendra meneliti tumbuhan rempah dan melukisnya dengan gaya kamasan .
Profile Venty
Venty Vergianti, seorang desainer multidisiplin, bekerja sebagai arsitek sebelum memutuskan untuk memfokuskan karirnya pada seni keramik dan pengembangan produk berbasis inisiatif sosial.
Venty lulus dari Institut Teknologi Bandung jurusan Arsitektur pada tahun 2003, kemudian bekerja selama beberapa tahun di firma Arsitektur yang menangani proyek perhotelan sebelum ia mengambil studi master di Design for Interaction dari TU Delft, Belanda di mana ia menjadi lebih tertarik pada hubungan antara produk dan manusia secara emosional. Dia suka bekerja dengan orang-orang, menjembatani kesenjangan antara kehidupan kontemporer dan tradisi, menghubungkan masa lalu, sekarang dan masa depan.
Profile Puri
Puri merupakan seorang desainer keramik mahir dengan sejarah yang ditunjukkan bekerja di industri seni & kerajinan selama lebih dari 10 tahun. Meraih gelar sarjana kerajinan keramik dari fakultas seni rupa dan jurusan desain di Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) dan saat ini sedang menempuh pendidikan magister desain di Universitas yang sama.
Dia adalah pendiri studio Alun Biru, studio yang fokus membuat perhiasan dan aksesoris bereksperimen dengan tanah liat berwarna keramik dan teknik nerikomi.
Menurut Puri: “Setiap item yang kami buat memiliki cerita dan proses yang unik.”
Iskandar Collective was established by Dondik, Wulang Sunu and Iskandar in Bali, 2019, through a program by Ketemu Project “Gerakan Kreabilitas”.
Iskandar Collective is a new creative ecosystem that is built on equality. We work with people from different walks of life, including those who are disabled.
We creatively collaborate to design and develop unique limited edition products that highlight local values.
Profile Pak Iskandar
Pak Iskandar who is a visual artist created different artworks from paintings to installations. His house, which looks more like a gallery, displayed a lot of installations in every wall made of different waste materials; from damaged sandals, shoes to twigs, stone, plastic bottle caps, etc.
His artist career stopped a few years back when he fell sick, and a stigma that grows in the local community that claims his painting style doesn’t bring joy, looks weird and dark. Though, he still dreamed that one day he could have his solo exhibition again, like what he did in the 1990’s.
Dondik (left) and Wulang (right) both initiate this collective during a Residential Design Thinking Program in Bali. They collaboratively respond to Pak Iskandar’s work and transform them into different fashion items that target the youth and productive age group.
Profile Dondik Robini (left)
Dondik is from Lumajang, East Java. This bright man is one of the graduates of Visual Design Communication at Paramadina University, Jakarta. He actively joins events and/or organizations. He had experience as a Design and Production Specialist, and he also became a facilitator of the Digital Marketing ASEAN Literary Festival held by Yayasan Muara. In 2019, he began to establish a platform called Mawea, to build the creative ecosystem in Lumajang.
Profile Wulang Sunu (right)
Wulang Sunu is an artist who has been living and working in Yogyakarta. He likes to draw since an earlier age. He tried to take a role in every creation and got many lessons about how to do teamwork and make artworks that could “move” the audiences. He is a founder of an organization called Studio Batu, where he and his team create films, animations, video mapping, and exhibitions. On some occasions, they produce merchandise as well
Lorku was established by Khomsin and Vindy in Bali, 2019, through a programme by Ketemu Project “Gerakan Kreabilitas”. They are artists who are actively addressing mental health issues through art and collaboration with mental health communities.
Lorku provides a series of products and kits to improve mental wellbeing, helping you track and better understand your feelings. The products are specially designed with a psychiatric approach, in which we involved psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health survivors in the process.
Lorku invites everyone to be more aware and care about their mental health. Lorku also opens for any collaboration opportunities with anyone who has the same values and goals.
Get in touch with them through their Instagram @lorku.kit
Vindy Profile
Vindy Ariella was born in Jakarta, February 21st 1991. Drawing, painting, and creating digital illustrations are her hobbies. Besides, she is a founder, leader, and an activist for mental health in Bipolar Care Indonesia Foundation. For Vindy, art is a type of therapy for her bipolar disorder. As the time goes, now she realizes that her artworks can be translated into daily products. She continuously explores different sides of the arts and she tries to convey messages about mental health through her artworks.
Khomsin Profile
His artistic experiences have begun since he entered the Institute of Arts Surakarta in 2012, majoring in Visual Design Communication. Back then in university, he created creative activities with the society around his university, such as drawing festivals for elementary school students and open booths in Car Free Day. In 2014, he had a project involving people with disabilities to recycle waste papers into marketable products. Starting from his final assignment in the university, he has been working with mental health clinic “Waluyo Jiwo”. He engages with people who have mental disabilities in Bacem Village to make creative products such as t-shirts and bags. The income from selling those products will be allocated to help the programs in the clinic.
I Nyoman Sudiasa, also known as Pak Nyoman, was born in Titab Village, Busung Biu, Buleleng on June 8, 1974. He is the youngest of 11 siblings. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in May 2001. His meeting with Dr. Rai in 2015 when he was doing outpatient care at Wangaya General Hospital, bringing Pak Nyoman to a weekly session at Dr. Rai’s house. In October 2015, KPSI Simpul Bali (Indonesia Schizophrenia Community) was formed and he became one of its members.
Pak Nyoman was appointed as the coordinator in a joint audience with the Mayor of Denpasar in August 2016, which eventually gave birth to Rumah Berdaya, a psycho-social rehabilitation place for people with Schizophrenia. In 2017, he was appointed as a contract employee of the Health Service by the Denpasar City Government. Then starting in 2019, Pak Nyoman was listed as a contract employee at the Denpasar Social Service as the coordinator of Rumah Berdaya.
Now Pak Nyoman is actively doing painting after attending Art for Well-being sessions several times, which was held at Rumah Berdaya by Ketemu Project. With Kabul’s (artist and Ketemu Project’s founder) direction and guidance, Pak Nyoman’s work has been exhibited at Cata Odata (2017), Rumah Berdaya (2018), and the Momentary Museum in Tokyo, Japan (2019).
Want to connect and get updates on his or Rumah Berdaya’s recent works? Get in touch through Instagram account @nyomansudiasa_ and @rumahberdaya_kpsibali