Nana Tedja

I was born in Yogyakarta in 1971 to a Javanese aristocratic family. Growing up, I had a lot of strict rules and don’t fit in naturally. I want to be myself – Be a free woman. And that translates into my painting. It wasn’t easy being a female artist, as my family was opposed to the idea. I struggled and thrived to achieve all my accomplishments today.

In my works, I use the technique of layering paint multiple times, so that there will be a lot of colours and layers. You will see thick texture because there are 4 to 8 color layers.

I enjoyed experimenting with colours, ignoring “Nirmana”, the rule of combing colors when I studied art at Indonesia Institute of Art Yogyakarta (ISI) Postgraduate Program, Fine Art Department. I combined different colours – blue with yellow,
green with orange, and even the forbidden colour pairing, combining green with blue, arranging them side by side.

I derived immense happiness, seeing the colours and shapes of objects coming together in my paintings.

I honed my skills at the tender age of 5 and strived for improvement. I paint using a palette knife, roller, brush, small paint tube to make lines, and many other traditional tools. I also enjoy making sculptures from resin and bronze. I don’t
care about others’ opinions about my work… yet I find great satisfaction and happiness when others find joy in my works.

In the future, I will keep on doing fine art and develop it according to my mood. I regularly participated in painting exhibitions with several galleries since 1996, both in groups and solo. In addition to selling my work domestically, I also sell my work to several countries in Europe, the US, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia. I often try to leave messages about many things in my work.