Interview

Z.A Setiawan

Z.A Setiawan, who prefers to be called Z or Z.A, is an Indonesian artist. He graduated from the university of UPN Veteran Jakarta with a degree in advertising, although he wishes that he had the opportunity to study at a world-renowned art school.

After graduation he worked in advertising, which taught him how to communicate visually and allowed him to explore his creativity. Now with his personal work, he uses art as a way of expressing himself, as a visual medium of communication and self exploration.

 

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“My journey in the art world started because I was looking for a way to get to know myself better. I was facing challenges I had never faced before, especially when it came to establishing my career. Some people judged me as somewhat of a failure and as a result, so I started self isolating, trying to get to know myself again and trying to develop myself. I began looking for a medium through which to express my thoughts and feelings; a kind of communication in a different realm. I learned how to communicate visually, and I ended up becoming a creative worker in the world of marketing and advertising. I would say that so far art, to me, has been a form of exploration.”

“For me, my work is a kind of language for communication, sending messages using visuals. But I prefer to let people discover their own meaning when they see my art.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“I really don't know that I have a specific theme in mind when creating art. Sometimes I just feel compelled to make something. Ideas pop into my head and when I feel my mind getting too full, I spill them out onto a work of art. It could be a painting, illustration, augmented reality and so on. That's why my personal work sometimes blurs the lines between art or design. (Of course, in my professional life I work strictly as a designer.) Sometimes I just want to communicate, and the technique doesn’t matter. I just want to have fun with it. If people see and appreciate my work, that will be of tremendous pleasure to me.”

What would you say inspires you most?

“In visual or artistic creation, I'm mostly inspired by people, plants, animals; everything in the world that I see, hear, smell and feel with the body I'm living in right now. I guess you could say that I’m inspired by life itself. The feeling of inspiration starts when I feel something that triggers thoughts in my mind.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I have been influenced by so many artists, it’s hard to narrow it down. I like Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Harue Koga, and even artists from the era of pop culture such as Banksy, Keith Haring and many more.”

“I'm not too particular about the materials I use, and I choose not to be bothered by what I don't have. I usually try to create using whatever is near me. If there is paper, I use paper. If there is canvas, I use canvas. After that I explore whether I’m going to finalize the piece as digital art or augmented reality and the like. I like the idea of combining the traditional with technology.”

What is your creative process like?

“My creative process usually starts with listening to a piece of music. I try to get out of my head by making random strokes, shapes, scribbles or colors. After that, I let myself drift away through whatever medium I’m using. I don’t have any specific result in mind at this point- I just let the music take me away. This makes me feel alive. But I feel like I don’t get an honest outcome if there's something interfering with the process. So when this happens, I prefer to stop as soon as possible and return later when there’s no distractions.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“An artist’s role depends on where the society is, how the environment is and what message the artist brings. Sometimes I see artists as human representatives of the thoughts that are channeled from people or societies that cannot, or do not dare to, take the step to speak in their own way. Ah, aku mulai sotoy.

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I've been to a collective exhibition with augmented creators from Artivive in Vienna in 2018. I also participated in the 30x30 collective exhibition at Marto Art Center Jakarta in 2019. I’m looking forward to opportunities to participate in other international exhibitions.”


Instagram (for artwork): @z.artwrk

Instagram (personal): @zasetiawan

 
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