Courtesy of Anzi Matta

Anzi Matta is one of the country’s most prominent feminist artists. Her pencil-based pieces are steeped in symbolism, portraying the fight for equal rights and social justice.

As a 19-year-old woman working in a rising-yet-still-unconventional field, Anzi has faced her share of discrimination — mostly subtle and sometimes unintended but objectionable enough. However, her struggle isn’t about random arguments but something far more educational and generally humane.

Her art is mostly minimalist, with a primary subject — people, animals, fruits — being the main and sometimes only focus.

“Feminism for me isn’t about asking for privileges, aside from gender equality, but it’s about fighting for what [we] feel we deserve and what is worth fighting for,” she says.

The Magelang-based artist’s project “Bukan Di Dapur” (Not In The Kitchen) works closely with similarly minded organizations with more experience in these matters, including the Coalition for Justice and Revelation of Truth (KKPK), the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and Pamflet Generasi (Generational Pamphlets).

The organization aims to educate both women and men on gender and human-rights issues through zines, stickers, related film screenings and discussion.

Anzi’s artistic career began only a few years ago. A late bloomer who only recently realized her artistic passion, Anzi has become a highly sought after illustrator and has held and partaken in exhibitions both at home and abroad, including in Shoreditch, London; Trio Art Space, Magelang; and Betelnut in Ubud, Bali.

Mostly self-taught with only a few drawing lessons taken at home, Anzi names mostly filmmakers as her primary influences, including idiosyncratic Japanese filmmakers Takashi Miike and Sion Sono, Quentin Tarantino and South Korean director Park Chan-wook.

Courtesy of Anzi Matta

Anzi Matta is one of the country'€™s most prominent feminist artists. Her pencil-based pieces are steeped in symbolism, portraying the fight for equal rights and social justice.

As a 19-year-old woman working in a rising-yet-still-unconventional field, Anzi has faced her share of discrimination '€” mostly subtle and sometimes unintended but objectionable enough. However, her struggle isn'€™t about random arguments but something far more educational and generally humane.

Her art is mostly minimalist, with a primary subject '€” people, animals, fruits '€” being the main and sometimes only focus.

'€œFeminism for me isn'€™t about asking for privileges, aside from gender equality, but it'€™s about fighting for what [we] feel we deserve and what is worth fighting for,'€ she says.

The Magelang-based artist'€™s project '€œBukan Di Dapur'€ (Not In The Kitchen) works closely with similarly minded organizations with more experience in these matters, including the Coalition for Justice and Revelation of Truth (KKPK), the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and Pamflet Generasi (Generational Pamphlets).

The organization aims to educate both women and men on gender and human-rights issues through zines, stickers, related film screenings and discussion.

Anzi'€™s artistic career began only a few years ago. A late bloomer who only recently realized her artistic passion, Anzi has become a highly sought after illustrator and has held and partaken in exhibitions both at home and abroad, including in Shoreditch, London; Trio Art Space, Magelang; and Betelnut in Ubud, Bali.

Mostly self-taught with only a few drawing lessons taken at home, Anzi names mostly filmmakers as her primary influences, including idiosyncratic Japanese filmmakers Takashi Miike and Sion Sono, Quentin Tarantino and South Korean director Park Chan-wook.

She chooses pencil as her primary medium because of the detail it allows and the way it transports her to a particular mood.

Anzi considers the process of putting pencil to paper and coming up with illustrations a sort of emotional therapy; a way of developing her emotions.

Her primary goal when drawing is to communicate ideas that cannot be summed up in words. As part of a generation that grew up with the internet and the particular style of communication that came with it, it is a perfect way for Anzi to engage others with progressive ideas.

'€œEspecially in times such as these '€” there are so many ideas that are delivered without any kind of media literacy, such as sexist and misogynist memes,'€ she says.

She said the patriachal culture that Indonesians adhere to is not really '€œwho we are or who we should be and that we should be able to move past that and build a culture that is not male dominated'€.

'€œWe do this through persuasion and advocacy,'€ Anzi says.

A few months ago, the Bukan Di Dapur project began assisting victims of domestic abuse with counselling and by connecting victims with case-ready institutions.

Always humble, Anzi says that her artwork '€œisn'€™t so great'€ and is '€œonly there to feed [her] ego'€, but the relation between her thoughtful pieces and the movement she has started suggests otherwise. Anzi has a lot to offer.

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