“I feel like God has given me a talent for art, and using that...

“I feel like God has given me a talent for art, and using that talent is a form of gratitude. For years I worked in an automotive workshop. I’d try to paint when I came home, but I never had any energy left. So I finally quit. Now I have more freedom to develop my talents, but it hasn’t been easy. Art is more difficult in this country. It’s not really seen as a profession. It would be easier if I was alone, but I have a family to support so there’s a lot of pressure to earn. I’m trying to be tough in poverty. I read a lot of poetry to give me strength. I would never beg, so right now I’m drawing portraits and caricatures to support myself. I’d rather be painting what I think and feel, but I have to fulfill what the consumer wants.”

(Jakarta, Indonesia)