Isha Hening is a visual artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Specializing in motion graphics, stage visuals, video mapping projections and live visual performances, she has been handling stage visual designs for Indonesia’s most prominent music festivals and concerts and for well known local and international musicians.

SP: Could you start by sharing a bit about yourself—where you’re based, what inspires your work, and some highlights from your journey so far?

IH: My name’s Isha Hening, I’m from Jakarta, Indonesia, born and raised. I do motion graphics and have been at it for about 17 years. I mostly create stage visuals and some art installations here and there. I’m also a VJ and I build mechanical keyboards in my spare time. I used to have a studio, but Jakarta’s traffic is insane. It started getting ridiculous spending so much time on the road, so now I work from home instead. What inspires me? Anything, really. I feel like anything can be inspiring at the right moment. To be completely honest, my journey feels like a giant blur. The entertainment industry moves really fast but is incredibly time-consuming at the same time. So yeah, it’s been fun, but I have no recollection of half of it, haha.

SP: How did you first become involved in creating visuals for live shows? Was there a moment or project that sparked this path for you?

IH: Back in college my friends and I had this small community we’d get together and mess around with electronic music and VJ stuff. At the time, I had no idea you could actually make a career out of it. Right after college, I got a job at a show management company. One of my first tasks there was creating visuals for a concert by a well-known Indonesian composer. It was a big concert, and I didn’t know anything about production on that scale. It was totally a fake it till you make it kind of situation.

SP: Can you talk a little about the festival and club scene in Indonesia and SouthEast Asia? What kinds of genres, artists and people do they attract? 

IH: Oh it’s really going. We have plenty of music festivals and clubs here in Indonesia, especially after the pandemic. Genre-wise, I think pop and EDM are doing really well. Alternative indie bands are also thriving. The good thing about SE Asia, Indonesia specifically, we have so many people, you’ll never run out of audience. You can have the most segmented show with the most obscure performers in the weirdest choice of venue and still have people show up.

SP: Scale is an interesting aspect of festival design, especially for designers who grow with them. How does the size of a stage or event influence your creative approach, especially as festivals in SouthEast Asia expand?

IH: I mostly work on a large scale, and the thing about it is you can make almost anything look cool just by the size of it, but when you're doing it wrong it's gonna look weird. At this point, creating on a large scale, screen or event, feels more natural to me than working in a standard screen ratio or small event. So I’ve never really thought much about my creative approach to scale, other than just wanting to make visually pleasing stuff.

SP: Your use of vibrant colors is incredible—it feels intentional yet dynamic. Could you walk us through your approach to color composition and how you ensure cohesion in such energetic visuals?

IH: Thanks! My approach is pretty simple, I just use any color I like, and I like every color. For me, there are no ugly colors, only wrong ones. It’s just a matter of figuring out where to put what. I always have a visceral reaction to color too. So most of the time, I just try every color and see where it leads me. After all, it’s such a privilege to be able to perceive colors, so why not use them all?

SP: How do you feel about the creative scene in Jakarta? How do artists like yourself find support, whether through street art, galleries, or other spaces?

IH: Jakarta has a bustling creative scene, especially for visual arts and music. Lots of talented artists come from this city. There’s always something happening, art exhibitions, art fairs, music festivals, concerts, workshops, you name it. It never dies down here. You can find something going on every week, even every day. We have plenty of art galleries, institutions, and organizers that keep the industry and ecosystem alive. Jakarta offers many opportunities and possibilities for people who are willing to work for it. I’m not saying it’s easy, but finding support is definitely possible here.

In my opinion, our traditional art has been “out there” for quite some time. It bugs me, as someone from SE Asia, in my case Indonesia, that we often feel the need to be recognized globally. What even constitutes global? Is it truly global, or just the West? Why this sense of inferiority and the desperation to “go international”? I think it’s an interesting topic that needs further discussion.

SP: To wrap up, could you share your favourite places in Jakarta, including: 

SP: Favourite restaurant?

IH: farm.girl

SP: Favourite bar?

IH: I don’t really drink but recently I visited a place called Kilo Kitchen, the drinks were nice, the music not too loud, so it’s probably that

SP: Favourite venue (club or band)?

IH: Probably Mantra (club), because I worked on it, hahaha

SP: Favourite art gallery?

IH: dia.lo.gue

SP: Favourite park or natural location?

IH: Most Jakartans will understand why I can’t answer this one