Durga

Traditional tattooing from Borneo and Mentawai in the museum!

Biography of Durga
Born and grew up in Jakarta, after completing his degree in Design Visual and Communication
from Indonesian Art Institute (Institut Seni Indonesia) in Yogyakarta, Durga lived in Germany
towards end of 1990’s up to mid 2000. Besides working in graphic design industry, he also
continued his study in Master in Historical Art in University of Passau but not finished and
worked for several years in Berlin.
The ideas and thoughts to become a tattoo artist became a reality when he lived in Los Angeles, California. While working as graphic designer and illustrator, he started to learn tattooing by himself through books and references.
Selected among a group of candidates, he was an apprentice under Sua Sulu’ape Freewind, a
master in world’s renowned tribal tattoo and traditional hand tapping in his Black Wave Tattoo
studio in Los Angeles. This apprenticeship got him started as part of a team of hand tapping on Polynesian, Borneo and Native American. At the same time, Seymour Kahiliaulani Kaniho 4
Lindsey, another world-renowned tattoo artist from Hawaii worked in Black Wave Tattoo, shared his knowledge, tips and tattoo technique.
When he returned from the US in mid 2008 up to today, Durga lives and works as tattoo artist and established Durga Tattoo studio in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Durga is a regular visitor in Siberut Island of Mentawai archipelago in light of Mentawai Tattoo
Revival project – a non-commercial project realized independently to survive and revive the
culture and tradition of Mentawai tribe tattoo from its disappearance. Furthermore, the project also provides tattoo workshop directly in the middle of Mentawai. Durga works and learns together with a number of Sikerei (a indigenous elder of Mentawai) and their communities in Siberut to further enhance the tattoo culture and tradition in Mentawai. He would directly continue and complete the tattooing of Sikerei and their community members, to become Sipatiti (a traditional tattoo artist in Mentawai) and to introduce it throughout Indonesia and internationally.
Durga Tattoo supports the tattoo tradition of Dayak Borneo Kalimantan tribes independently or in collaboration with Dayak Youth Community in Jakarta, as well learning and introduce them to Indonesian community and globally.

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