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Commissioned | Professional

Why did you make this work:
This book gives a brief history of pre-colonial Javanese women, Indonesia. In Indonesia, access to bookshops and literary sources is limited. According to a survey by UNESCO in 2016, only 1 in every 1,000 Indonesians showed an active interest in reading. Hence, I was determined to find ways of disseminating history through illustration.

What materials and techniques did you use?:
I used Procreate to emulate linocut print impression in digital illustration.

How were your illustrations used:
Aiming to resonate with a wider, particularly the younger female audience, I illustrated the book cover using a palette traditionally associated with cosmetics – blush pink, lipstick red, eye-shadow blue, and mascara black. This choice was simple and strategic, designed to familiarise and question.


Commissioner Name :
Peter Carey
Commissioner Company :
Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia
Commissioned for:
Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia

Social Media:
instagram.com/mytulisan

Personal Website:
melissasunjaya.com

College:
Falmouth University


Currently Based:
Indonesia

Biography:
Melissa Sunjaya is an Indonesian visual artist based in Jakarta who draws inspiration from drawing, writing, and sewing. Her work employs illustration as a universal language to articulate complex themes, focusing on missing narratives of Southeast Asian women. This exploration leads to examining the material culture in wearable artefacts as a medium of art and an agency for social change.