I Gede Sukarya is an artist from Bulian Village, Kubutambahan, Buleleng. Gede holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art, which was obtained from the Institute of Art Indonesia (ISI), Denpasar. It was four years ago when he started to focus on tatahan kulit (artmaking by painting and carving on leather). At the time, it was his first time learning about tatahan kulit. He was fascinated by such artmaking. Ever since this way of artmaking has become his specialty. “I learned so much about painting on leather and how to carve it. I taught myself the techniques of wayang [puppet performance] in Puaya Village,” he said.

Gede found it challenging the first time he wanted to show his work publicly. He didn’t feel confident doing it because he had a feeling of being rejected by the public. He also wondered whether art lovers and collectors considered his artwork as installation art. As it turned out, the former thought that Gede’s artworks were more like crafts, instead of installation art. But this didn’t let him down. “Personally, my artworks are installation art,” he said. “I think being a successful artist is simple: you just need to consciously express what’s on your mind and heart through your artwork,” he added.