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Yessiow is a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in Bali, Indonesia. With Javanese roots and a deep connection to Balinese culture, she was immersed in a blend of traditions from an early age. This dual heritage continues to shape her artistic identity, informing the patterns, colors, and storytelling elements found throughout her work. She is best known for her vibrant street art and large-scale murals that weave together narratives of place, community, and everyday life through bold color, playful forms, and personal storytelling.

 

Since beginning her mural practice in 2013, Yessiow has developed a visual language heavily influenced by ancient Greek pottery, natural objects, and bright tropical colors. Pot and vase forms frequently appear throughout her work as symbolic representations of comfort zones, becoming storytelling devices that help her reflect on belonging, memory, movement, and human connection. Through these recurring forms, she often narrates stories about the communities she collaborates with and the places she paints in.

 

After graduating in 2018, Yessiow and her partner, Stijn, set off on a journey to explore the world, initially driven by curiosity rather than artistic ambition. Their travels took an unexpected turn when the COVID-19 pandemic led them to stay in India for nearly two years. During this period, Yessiow immersed herself in painting on the streets and developed a deeper relationship with public art. In India, she painted her first four-story mural, an experience that solidified her passion for large-scale walls and strengthened her interest in connecting with communities through art. What began there soon evolved into an international mural practice. Since then, Yessiow has painted walls across a wide range of cultural and urban landscapes, creating public works in countries including Italy, Greece, Jordan, South Africa, Japan, Vietnam, Serbia, Australia and beyond. Each place has further shaped her approach to storytelling through murals, rooted in local encounters, shared spaces, and human connection. 

 

In recent years, Yessiow has expanded her practice beyond murals into textile and mixed-media installation works. Drawing inspiration from her parents, who have a lifelong practice in knitting, she began reconnecting with her roots by integrating hand-knitted elements into her paintings and installations. Her current studio practice explores themes of memory, domesticity, inherited craft, and intergenerational collaboration, often combining fabric, paint, and sculptural forms to create tactile and layered works.

 

Alongside her artistic practice, Yessiow has initiated several projects that support the wider street art community. In 2021, she founded Street Art Calls, a platform created from her own struggles finding opportunities during the early stages of her career. What began as a personal archive of global open calls quickly evolved into an international resource used by artists worldwide. In 2023, after returning to Bali, she co-founded the Tangi Street Art Festival, a community-driven initiative dedicated to public art and cultural exchange on the island. In 2025, she launched Far East Mural, a platform supporting and connecting female street artists across Asia and beyond. These initiatives reflect the same values that run through her artistic practice: collaboration, accessibility, storytelling, and creating space for others.

 

Her contributions to art, public space, and social impact have received international recognition, and in 2024 she was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in the Arts category.

Photo by Jules Cesure - 2026

💫 Beyond the Studio

Beyond making art, Yessiow is involved in organising street art festivals and platforms that connect artists with public spaces.

1. Street Art Calls

An open-call platform where artists can discover and share mural and festival opportunities worldwide.

2. Far East Mural Project
A program dedicated to uplifting and supporting female street artists across Indonesia, Asia, and beyond.

3. Tangi Street art festival
A community-driven festival in Bali that brings local and international artists together through murals, gatherings, and cultural exchange.

CV

Public Art & Intervention

2026

"Daydreamer" Inflatable - Zomerkaai, Akenkaai, Brussels

Ubud Open Studio - Bali, Indonesia

2025

Douro Street Art Festival - Douro Valley, Portugal

D’Youth Fest Mural Program - Bali, Indonesia

The Crystal Ship - Oostende, Belgium

2024

Mural Town Konohana Intervention - Osaka, Japan

Hanasaka Mural Project - Osaka, Japan

Look Up Street Art Festival - Portsmouth, England

Urban Pictus Festival - Brno, Czech Republic

Urban Act Mural Intervention - Piraeus, Greece

DUK Festival - Čačak, Serbia

2023

Blank Walls Studio Mural Intervention - Perth, Australia

Luce Art Festival - San Pietro Magisano, Italy

Calle Libre Street Art Festival - Vienna, Austria

Urban Act Mural Intervention - Athens, Greece

Saladina Street Art Festival - Mallorca, Spain

Tangi Street Art Festival - Bali, Indonesia

Solo Exhibitions

2025

The Fruit That I’ve Become at Ruang Arta Derau, Bali, Indonesia

2024

A Solo Exhibition by Yessiow - Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

2023

Between The Handles - Perth, Australia

Group Exhibition

2026

Artraga with Connected Art Platform, Jakarta Indonesia

Salon et Cetera with Ace House Collective, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

2025

“Terra Nexus” at Labyrinth Art Gallery, Bali, Indonesia

“Brushstroke of Hope” at ASHTA District 8, Jakarta, Indonesia

“Beragam Lini” at Ruang Fungsi, Bali, Indonesia

“Change” at Oever Gallery Oostende, Belgium

“Risopresso” at Qualita Company, Jakarta, Indonesia

2024

“Tatar” at Srisasanti Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“Comm:unity A female exhibition” at Gallery Gerald Hartinger, Vienna, Austria

“Risograff” at Qualita Company, Jakarta, Indonesia

“Kartini Nyeni” at Senyawa+, Jakarta Indonesia

2023

“Bhineka Tunggal Ika Collective Exhibition” at Bentara Budaya, Jakarta, Indonesia

“Tangi SAF Collective Exhibition” at TAT Art Space, Bali, Indonesia

Artist Talks / Sharing

2026

Speaker at Panel Discussion Ubud Open Studio: Perempuan Pekerja Seni - Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

2025

Speaker at Gerak & Manajemen Talenta National by Indonesia Ministry Of Culture.

Panel Discussion, ART&Bali – Nuanu, Bali, Indonesia - Discussed themes of Terra Nexus exhibition.

2024

Panel Discussion, Museum of Sophiahof - The Hague, Netherlands: Shared perspectives on street art and shaping urban culture.

Participant of Focus Group Discussion, “Menakar Ulang: Peran Diskursif dan Kuratorial dalam Ekosistem Seni Rupa Indonsia” – Ruang Arta Derau, Bali, Indonesia

2023

Speaker, Idea Fest – Jakarta, Indonesia, Topic: “From Street Art to

Global Stage”

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