My idea of utopia will never be a place for a solo artist with vested personal ambitions. It is about building an honest and accountable environment that encourages people to operate fairly, create ethically, and dream constantly.

Melissa Sunjaya is an Indonesian visual artist based in Jakarta who loves drawing, writing, and sewing. In 2010, she founded Tulisan–a grassroots artisanal label publishing handmade serigraph editions created sustainably and ethically. Her work explores Southeast Asian women’s identities through Illustrated wearable artefacts. Using an autoethnographic approach and historical archives to probe the influence of class, gender, race, and disability within Indonesian culture, Melissa creates new art and gives a voice to the marginalised and unremembered women in history.

Contact

Exhibitions

  • Empathy, Ethics, & Wealth
    SALIHARA ART CENTER
    Curator of Visual Lab Pedagogy & Explorations based on Heuristic Studies
  • Bio Fantasy
    Jakarta, Indonesia
    Travelling Solo Exhibit: A Visual Essay Installation of Chairil Anwar’s Poetry and Proses
  • Pepe & The Flying Balloon
    A Musical Rendition of Melissa Sunjaya’s Short Story
  • Hotel Batavia
    Solo Exhibit of Time Capsule & Musical Rendition of Melissa Sunjaya’s Short Story
  • Amma Supahilo
    Solo Exhibit of Single Edition Serigraphy Series

Literary

  • Dadi
    Genre: Non-Fiction
    A silent tale is a sequence of wordless pictures where the readers can play with the narratives and arrange the mood and tone of the story
  • Grow
    Genre: Fiction
    An Educational Fiction on Cyber-Bullying and Decision Making.
  • Surat No. 03: Lelono
    Genre: Non-Fiction
    An Essay on Serialism Amongst Polarity of Cultures and Doctrines
  • Surat No. 02: Persinggungan
    Genre: Non-Fiction
    An Essay on Human Nexus in Cyber-Industrial Revolution
  • Surat No. 01: Tari Pulsar
    Genre: Non-Fiction
    An Essay on Human Behaviours and the Impact of an Anthropocentric Universe
  • Bio Fantasy
    Genre: Poetry and Science Fiction
    A Sci-Fi Argumentative Prelude to a Visual Anthology of Chairil Anwar’s Poetry and Prose
  • Dreher
    Genre: Non-Fiction
    A Biography and Legacy of Gerd Dreher, a German Gemstone Master Carver
  • Les Papillons de Victor
    Genre: Fiction
    A Children’s Book on Empathy and Unconditional Love
  • Dream of Flight
    Genre: Illustration
    An Illustrated Journal, Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, U.S.A.

Awards & Recognitions

  • BCA Marketeers Woman Award | 2016
    Influential and Aspiring Women
  • Sulwhasoo X Her World Award | 2015
    The Most Powerful Women and Young Achievers
  • Ernst & Young Award | 2013
    Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women
  • Indosat Appreciation Award | 2012
    Indonesia’s Inspiring Youth and Woman
  • CIMB Niaga Click Society Award | 2011
    Young Online Entreupreneur 2011, Second Price
  • Salone Satellite Award | 2000 & 2001
    10 Best Young International Designers