Yuswantoro Adi

Born in 1966 in Semarang, Central Java, these days Yuswantoro Adi also took up teacher as his profession. Every Sunday he teaches drawing to children at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Cultural Park), and he is also a regular teacher at Budi Mulia Kindergarten. Well, Yus has always been inseparable with the world of children. His paintings mostly depict children as the main characters. They are pure, innocent, and we look at them as symbols of hope towards the future. However, in Yus' hands, the position of these children often look ironic and contradictory.

Yuswantoro Adi uses his canvas to vocalize his thoughts and ideas on social critics. Money, humanity, and governmental activities usually become the themes of his paintings. Instead of applying deep philosophical analysis or absurd ideas, he uses simple metaphors to communicate with his audience. His style, which is often called 'photo-realist', are engaging as Yus always has something to say.

Graduated from Indonesia Institute of Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta, in 1997 his work was nominated as the five best paintings in Indonesia Art Award. He was also honored as a Grand Prize Winner Phillip Morris Asean Art Awards in that same year. Beside painting, Yuswantoro Adi is also an art writer. With his friends in Komunitas Peduli Uang, he teaches painting to men and women.