A local of Yogyakarta, Ivan Bestari is one of the very few glass artists in Indonesia, and even the rarer few of those studying and pushing the boundaries of recycled glass as an art medium in the country. He decided to pursue glass arts after he met with the one and only scientific glassblower in Yogyakarta, a 74 year old artist, in 2011. Since then he has dedicated his career into creating recycled glass arts, learning and refining his skills in flameworking from sources online as well as other glass artists. By 2014, he was proficient in his new art to hold flameworking workshops at the “Maker’s Block: A Build, Craft & Design Experience” exhibition in Singapore.
Although the initial decision to use recycled glass was more because of economic reasons (glass rood is not available in Indonesia, and importing them is very expensive), he finds working with recycled glass a meaningful challenge. Why not convert waste glass into something expressive and beautiful? There is also an element of unpredictability in creating with recycled glass using flameworking method. Ivan explains, “The shape of my pieces usually comes when I am melting the glass. Usually when the shape starts to form, I just follow the lead of the glass until the shape is formed or until I feel like the work is complete.” In this way, every creation is unique and unpredictable.
Ivan humbly says that every piece of his art comes into being because of the imaginative creative power in the interaction between glass and fire. In fact, it is a three way dialogue between the artist, the glass and the fire. His passion for glass art, his techniques and his command of the medium, produce the commissioned work for GAIA Cosmo Hotel, titled “It Grows”. Ivan used the waste glass GAIA Cosmo Hotel supplied and transformed it into a beautiful organic creation that grows and writhes. The glass installation showcases softness, beauty, and simplicity.
Ivan graduated with a Diploma in Visual Communication Design at Akademi Desain Visi Yogyakarta and Bachelor in Product Design at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana. Click here for Ivan Bestari’s CV.
