Plastik Kembali Catalog 2024 - Catalog - Page 2
Plastik Kembali:
Reimagining the Value of Plastic Through Art
Elissa Gjertson’s artistic journey
has meandered through a variety of
forms over the past 40+ years, with
a particular interest in global and
indigenous art.
It was her move to Lombok, Indonesia
in 2019, however, that spurred the
inception of her new studio, Plastik
Kembali, as she explored her interest
in creating art from plastic waste.
Today Elissa conceptualises new
ways to reimagine waste materials
of all types, from plastic and textiles
to natural fiber and wood – working
closely with her team to translate her
concepts into artworks that honour
Indonesian artistic traditions. Her
creative inspiration pulls from a vast
bank of traditional and contemporary
folk-art techniques as well as modernist
art, abstract expressionism, and color
field painting.
Plastik Kembali operates closely
with their local community waste
infrastructure program, as well as
collaborates with plastic banks
and recycling centres around the
archipelago to source the recycled
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plastics that become the base
materials for all their artworks.
Recycled textiles are sourced from
hospitality and textile company
partners in Java and Bali and from
individual
donations.
Elissa credits her family for her artistic
enthusiasm. A major, formative
influence includes learning traditional
fibre arts, such as macrame, crossstitching, and knitting from her
grandmothers, aunts and mother.
Perhaps this is why Plastik Kembali’s
art showcases an affinity for these
traditionally feminine art forms that
are practiced by various folk artists
worldwide.
Today, Plastik Kembali consists of
Elissa and her team of nearly 30 local
artisans, the majority of whom are
women. While the collective and their
work has grown in scale, their goal
remains to address one of Indonesia’s
biggest challenges – plastic waste –
through one of its greatest strengths,
traditional folk art.