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Artist Atreyu Moniaga, singer Jewel join hands for coloring book
Indonesian illustrator Atreyu Moniaga has collaborated with American singer Jewel for a coloring book to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the singer’s debut album, Pieces of You.
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'Jewel Pieces of You – a Coloring Experience' is a coloring book illustrated by Indonesian artist Atreyu Moniaga. (instagram.com/atreyumoniaga/File)
Indonesian artist Atreyu “Atre” Moniaga, 32, knows what it feels like to collaborate with a popular musician.
Recently, he teamed up with American singer Jewel to create a coloring book to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the singer’s debut album, Pieces of You. Dubbed Jewel Pieces of You – a Coloring Experience, the book consists of 14 illustrations inspired by the album’s 14 tracks. It is available for pre-orders on Jewel’s website and bundled with tickets for the singer’s livestream concert on Nov. 20, with prices starting from US$25.
Calling himself a loyal fan of Jewel since 1996, Atre remembered that he frequently tagged the singer on Instagram every time he created artworks related to her lyrics.
“In 2016, she followed me back. Perhaps my artworks often showed up on her feeds. But before that, she asked me, ‘Did you create all of the artworks that you uploaded?’ and I said Yes,” Atre told The Jakarta Post on Oct. 7.
Since then, the two creative minds communicated via Instagram's direct messages and comment sections, with topics ranging from Instagram memes to collaborations. Their initial plan was to create a children’s book, until one day Atre expressed his idea to illustrate Jewel’s latest album cover, which was the 25th anniversary edition of Pieces of You.
But following a discussion between their managers, Jewel’s music label still wanted the album to have the same aesthetic as the original that was released in 1995. Atre was certain that he had lost the chance to collaborate with Jewel, until the singer came up with a plan to create a coloring book with him, particularly as she wanted people to gain new experiences while listening to the album.
Atre worked on his part of the book just two weeks. He sent two samples of illustrations to Jewel: one with song lyrics and another without. “She [later] sent me a voice note, saying it was beyond her wildest dreams. I was like... I should’ve been the one who said that,” he said.
In one of her Instagram Live sessions, Jewel praised Atre as a “talented fan”, for his drawings were “really mythical” and “so beautiful”. “I’m in love with the coloring book,” Jewel said, posing with a scarf given by Atre.
Atre said that two songs on the album, “Painters” and “Amen”, were his favorites. The artist, who graduated from the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ), recalled that he almost shed tears as he worked on the sketch for “Amen”, for he found the lyrics corresponded to his childhood memories. “I had to focus on the lyrics and the song’s atmosphere, which then brought up unpleasant memories. They made me a bit emotional at the time,” Atre said.
Jewel’s lyrics and struggles in the music industry inspired Atre’s to pursue his dream as an artist. At a very young age, Atre saw drawing as a way to express himself, as he faced challenges in making friends and believed that nobody paid attention to him. His parents grew concerned about his grades and future as he spent most of his time drawing.
“My father was a bit rough at the time. Every time he found my drawings, he would rip them off,” he said. Jewel’s poetic lyrics helped him to be persistent with his dream. “I thought that if I gave in to the pressure my father gave me, perhaps I would be nothing. This is a determination I have to live with.”
Aside from an illustrator, Atre is also known as a photographer, actor and former lecturer at Bunda Mulia University, North Jakarta. In 2015, he starred in Lucky Kuswandi’s short film The Fox Exploits the Tiger’s Might, which competed at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Semaine de la Critique section. The film also won at the 2015 Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards for Best Southeast Asian Short Film.
In 2014, Atre established the Atreyu Moniaga Project initiative and incubation program to discover, train and introduce emerging talents in illustration and photography. The project organized various exhibitions, including ST/ART, Mixed Feelings, Mixed Feelings: 03 and Mixed Feelings: 04.
Asked what he would like to try his hand at next, Atre simply answered, “I want to be happy. I want to be content. I want to live [life] to the fullest.” (wng)
