Jakarta’s street artists brave arrest, sexual harassment to spray city’s walls with colour, character and social critique
Urban artists take to the streets of the Indonesian capital to add life, spread messages of love or comment on social problems with their murals. We talk to some of the city’s best street artists about their work and inspirations
Jakarta can be a stressful place to live in, with heavy pollution and few green spaces, street artist Marishka Soekarna says. “All that I see is busy people and traffic, uncontrolled advertising and unmanaged trash,” says the 34-year-old, who hopes to add life to the sprawling Indonesian capital’s walls by splashing them with colour.
Soekarna, who is a professional illustrator, paints vibrant murals depicting a smiling female character surrounded by foliage.
“I want to contribute something that stimulates a positive feeling for passers-by,” she says.
Fellow street artist Ryan Ryadi’s work is more focused on social critique. The 35-year-old’s mission is to voice Jakarta’s problems through murals. Since 2001, he’s done this through the character ‘Popo’, short for Positive Progress.
“I paint about social issues around me. I read newspapers and magazines,” says Ryadi, better known as Popo, after his signature drawing. “I’ll have an idea for a mural and I’ll look at sites. The idea and the site have to be connected.”