Fiametta Gabriela (b.1988) is a visual artist, artistic director, performer, and arts project manager based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her work often explores psychological, performative, and everyday life themes through interdisciplinary approaches, combining mediums such as painting, drawing, video, performance, and installation.

She holds a Diploma in Visual Communication Design with a major in Illustration from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. Her experience as an independent artist has broadened her technical skills and deepened her artistic vision as a multidisciplinary practitioner.

Fiametta has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Titicara – Meruah program initiated by Selasar Sunaryo Art Space, Bandung (2024), and major art fairs such as Art Jakarta Gardens, Art Jakarta, and Art Moments with D Gallerie (2023–2025).

As an artistic director, she was involved in the productions “5 Fragmen Perang Djawa: Alih Wahana ‘Babad Diponegoro” (2025) at the National Library & Galeri Indonesia Kaya, as well as “in(her)ited silence” (2025) at Salihara, Jakarta. She also directed the series Di Tepi Sejarah with the performances “Ke Pelukan Orang-Orang Tercinta” (2023) at Salihara and “Yang Tertinggal di Jakarta” (2022) at Teater Kecil, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta — both productions by Titimangsa Foundation. Additionally, she was involved in the Malay musical “Kwee Tek Hoay: Sang Pendekar Pena”(2024), produced by Kelompok Pojok at the Indonesian Musical Festival held at Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta. She also worked as a stage designer for the performance Bunyi Puan Nusantara during the National Cultural Week (2023) at the PFN studio, Otista.

As an installation artist, she created The Dancer (2024), a collaborative work with Tulola Design and fashion designer Auguste Soesastro, showcased at the Nusantara Ballroom, The Dharmawangsa, Jakarta.

In the field of arts management, she served as project manager for the solo exhibition Nunung WS: The Spirit Within(2023) at the National Gallery of Indonesia. She also helped organize the book discussion and tour for Nunung WS: Jiwa, Cita, dan Nuansa, a publication commemorating five decades of Nunung WS’s artistic journey, presented at institutions including Institut Kesenian Jakarta, Selasar Sunaryo, and ARTJOG (2024). Currently, she works as a project manager at D Gallerie while remaining actively involved in various contemporary art exhibitions across Indonesia.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

Drawing has always been my sanctuary—a place where I can weave stories and let my imagination soar. As an only child, I was often given blank sheets of paper and coloring tools while accompanying my mother to work. She also took me to exhibitions, museums, and performances regularly. My close bond with my grandmother, a Balinese dancer from a family deeply rooted in tradition and culture, instilled in me a profound sensitivity toward the arts. This early passion led me to pursue a degree in Visual Communication Design at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore.

After graduating, I worked as a graphic designer in various advertising agencies. While I experienced periods of creative restlessness, my desire to paint remained strong. So, I enrolled in a three-year program at Studio Hanafi while continuing to work. Being in an interdisciplinary environment at Taman Ismail Marzuki provided me with opportunities for collaboration. Eventually, this led me to artistic direction in theater and performance production, where I could bring characters to life and give voice to untold narratives. Over time, I also became involved as a project manager in a commercial gallery and various arts programs. This role allowed me to nurture and sustain the arts ecosystem, which aligns deeply with my lifelong practice of creating, caring, and giving voice.

What is your creative process like? Do you follow a routine or work spontaneously?

My creative process is a balance between structure and spontaneity. Usually, it begins with observation—memories, conversations, spaces, or cultural references that linger in my mind. Even before I start painting, I often begin by intuitively choosing materials. I’m drawn to certain colors instinctively, guided more by feeling than logic. This small ritual helps me sense the emotional direction of the work before it fully takes shape.

I collect fragments through sketches, notes, and colors that feel emotionally charged. This phase is intuitive and open; I allow myself to respond freely without overthinking the outcome. However, once the idea starts to take form, I become more structured. My background in visual communication design trained me to think about composition, narrative, and context. If I’m working on a stage or collaborative project, I research deeply and build a clear conceptual framework. But when I paint, I try to stay present and let the work evolve organically. For me, creating is a dialogue—between control and surrender, planning and discovery.

Your work is deeply embedded in daily life. What inspired you to use the mundane as a starting point?

My work is really rooted in everyday life. I’m drawn to simple, ordinary things because when I look at them more closely, they often open up very personal spaces for reflection. Within those small, familiar moments, I find layers of emotion, traces of past experiences, and memories that usually go unnoticed.

I start from what seems ordinary because that’s where memory feels the most intimate and alive to me. Through my work, I try to revisit fragments of those memories, place them in conversation with the present, and think about how they might shape or resonate with the future.

What role do you believe art plays in social and cultural change? 

I see art as something like a soft martyr — not loud or confrontational, but quietly enduring. It doesn’t always demand immediate change, yet it absorbs, witnesses, and carries emotional and social weight. In that sense, art becomes a container: it holds memories, tensions, fragile stories, and unresolved histories that might otherwise disappear.

In my practice, especially through memory and domestic space, art functions as a space that gathers these intimate fragments. The home, personal narratives, and everyday gestures may seem small, but they carry layers of cultural and social meaning. By containing and preserving these subtle experiences, art allows them to be seen, felt, and shared.

I believe this quiet containment is powerful. Change doesn’t always happen through force — sometimes it begins with holding space, with acknowledging what has been overlooked. Art creates that space.

What do you hope people take away from your art when they experience it?

I hope the work I present can offer a moment of reflection, while also becoming a space where people feel free to express themselves. Through this work, I want to create an environment that feels safe and open, where individuals can explore their thoughts, emotions, and identities without fear of judgment. Ultimately, I hope it becomes a place that encourages authenticity and allows people to simply be themselves.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in the future?

Currently, I am preparing works for a group exhibition, and I am also hoping to organize a solo exhibition either this year or next year. I am open to collaborative opportunities across different media for future projects, as well as several exhibition projects planned for this year.

Text and photo courtesy of Fiametta Gabriela

Website: www.fiamettagabriela.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiamettagabriela/