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Young designers need perseverance: Budiman Ong
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Bali-based lighting designer Budiman Ong was spotted visiting the Maison & Objet Paris 2016 exhibition earlier this week. The designer is gearing up for an exhibition of his own in 2018. (Maison Objets/Tommy Hartanto)
B
ali-based lighting designer Budiman Ong was spotted visiting the Maison & Objet Paris 2016 exhibition earlier this week. The designer is gearing up for an exhibition of his own in 2018.
Known for his original, handcrafted lighting that fuses traditional elements with modern ones, Budiman is no stranger to international exposure and is making efforts to introduce his work to the world. In 2014, he became the first Indonesian designer to participate in Maison & Objet Asia in Singapore.
Since then, Budiman has exhibited his lighting designs at Maison & Objet Paris in September 2015 and January 2016 as well as at another Asian edition of the trade show in 2015.
(Read also: Creative Smarts: Play of Lights)
Trained at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University in Scotland, Budiman has long followed Maison & Objet events.
“Ever since I was a student, Maison & Objet was one of the leading exhibitions that I wanted to attend,” he told The Jakarta Post. “So, upon hearing that they were coming to Singapore, I grabbed the opportunity and tried to be recruited by the organization to participate in the exhibition. We got there in the end, which was difficult, and we’re very proud of it.”
Budiman went through the same process as any designer applying to a trade show. “We sent in our application and company details and met with the organizers.”
The designer believed in face-to-face meetings to tell the organizers about the story behind his business.
A month after submitting his application, Budiman received the happy news that he was among the Asian designers exhibiting at Maison & Objet.
(Read also: Les Ateliers de Paris incubator calls for international designers)
His participation paid off quickly. Immediately after the show, Budiman was recruited by the Center for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to exhibit at Maison & Objet Paris, along with designers from other developing countries.
Asked what it takes for young Indonesian designers to participate in global exhibitions, Budiman said, “I think young designers need to be sure of who they are as designers and be confident that they can do it. Having the idea is half the way. The most important thing is to have perseverance and trust that what they do is good.” (kes)
