STAR: Could you tell us some interesting facts about your life?
STYRTISTS
ITMOY. T: There are many interesting things I would like to share, but the ones which happened surprisingly come to my mind. I was born in a family who followed Buddhism, but later in life, I got married to a Muslim man and converted to that religion. I studied economics and wanted to be an economics teacher, but I had to work as an English teacher in a high school. When I got married I was just a housewife and a mother to my son. At the age of 45, I never thought my life change drastically from an ordinary housewife to a professional painter and later become famous as the only women painter in Indonesia to paint the banana tree as subject and perhaps the only one in the world.
STAR: What’ s integral to the work of an artist?
ITMOY. T: I think passion and dedication towards your work are very much important. Work gives me immense satisfaction. Each artist should be liberated to create shaped forms of their own creation for their own works. To think outside of the box. Though I must admit in all my years of dedication to this whole idea of Banana tree paintings, I have put a lot of effort and love.
STAR: What is your favorite experience as an artist?
ITMOY. T: When I was exhibiting along with other artists in a famous gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta, One of the art buyer or collector, who is a well-known personality and an art lover wanted to buy 11 works including mine. He asked me to give a discount on the price of my work as it was much higher compared to that of my friends or otherwise he wouldn’ t buy others works too. Finally, When I agreed, he bought all the works of the artists. This made them happy and I too as my decision could help them.
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