Kartika Jahja is a transdisciplinary artist and activist. Joining the Art Coalition since 2017, Tika now serves as Deputy Chairperson of the Executive Board.
After studying at the Art Institute of Seattle, she returned to Indonesia and formed the band “Tika & The Dissidents” which received appreciation from music lovers as well as the media. Among them are “The Art Figure of TEMPO Magazine’s Choice, 2009”, “30 Women Who Rock” and “20 Best Albums 2016” from Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine, the nomination for “Best Group or Duo” at the 2017 Indonesian Choice Awards, NET TV, and ” Music Activists Inspire 2018” from Musik Bagus Day.
In 2015, Kartika established the Joint Project Foundation with a mission to advocate for gender equality and the elimination of gender-based violence through creative interventions. Her various works and initiatives won awards from TEMPO Magazine, which named her “Women Breaking Boundaries, 2016” and the international media BBC included her in the “BBC 100 Women, 2016” list – a list of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world.
Kartika established an alternative space in Jakarta called RUANG SELATAN in 2018 for creative expression, intersectional dialogue, and collective empowerment. RUANG SELATAN is a response to rampant intolerance and persecution that targets vulnerable groups (ethnic minorities, beliefs, sexual etc.) and threatens freedom of expression.
Kartika was selected by the Australia Council for the Arts to join the Future Art Leaders program for 2018-2019. In 2021 the Australia Council for the Arts, again gave her support to conduct research with Australian arts actors on matriarchal leadership in the digital art space.
In 2021 Kartika was elected by the U.S. Department of State to participate in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) exchange program with the thematic focus on Diversity, Inclusivity, Equity and Accessibility (Diversity, Inclusion, Equality, and Access), and was awarded the 2022 IVLP Impact Awards. And in March 2022, Kartika officially joined the Purple Institute as deputy director. The Purple Institute is a space for the production, exploration and education of arts and culture for human rights and gender justice.
