From Theme to Visual: Translating the Spirit of Asian Cinema into Artistic Forms
JAFF consistently involves artists from various disciplines—including visual artists, designers, photographers, and new media artists—to interpret the annual theme into artworks that serve as the festival’s visual identity. In its first edition, JAFF collaborated with Marzuki Mohammad, better known as Kill the DJ, a Yogyakarta-based artist who designed the JAFF logo that continues to be used to this day. In 2020, he returned to collaborate once again, creating an artwork inspired by the theme “Kinetic.” This year, JAFF collaborates with visual artists Wulang Sunu and Muklay to produce an artwork representing the theme “Transfiguration.” The collaboration illustrates how cinematic ideas can transform into distinctive visual forms that reflect the condition of Asia while still carrying each creator’s unique artistic character. Through this discussion, JAFF aims to invite the public, artists, and festival practitioners to explore the relationship between theme, interpretation, and personal artistic style, as well as to discuss how such collaborations contribute to shaping the visual and cultural identity of film festivals in Asia.
Schedule
Jadwal
Venue: Stage Empire XXI
Date: Thursday, 4 December 2025
Time: 16:00 -17:30
Admission Fee: Free
Speaker:
Pembicara:
Wulang Sunu
Visual Artist
Wulang Sunu (b. 1992, Yogyakarta) is a visual artist and graduate of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta, majoring in Graphic Design (2016). He works across various media—including drawing, painting, animation, and installation—exploring themes of human experience, history, and mythology, often expressed through a balance of joy, sadness, and humor. From 2011 to 2016, Wulang was an active member of Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and he is currently a part of Studio Batu, an interdisciplinary collective that integrates diverse artistic disciplines in its practice. His works have been exhibited internationally, including in Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Marzuki Mohamad a.k.a Kill The DJ
Visual Artist
Marzuki Mohamad a.k.a Kill The DJ is a visual designer and also known as music producer and rapper. He founded Jogja Hip Hop Foundation (JFH) in 2003 and released his first album titled “Poetry Battle”, hip hop music mixed javanesse poetry. Besides being active in music, he also encouraged young people to become agricultural farmers.
The collaboration between Kill The DJ and JAFF has been established since the first JAFF in 2006. His visual artwork, “I See The Light Is Fading Out”, was the official artwork for JAFF #1. Kill The DJ also the creator of JAFF official logo. This year, Kill The DJ created an visual artwork “I See The Light Is Fading Out #2” as the official artwork JAFF #15.
Moderator:
Ignatia Nilu
Art Curator
Ignatia Nilu is an independent writer and art curator who, over the past decade, has also been involved as a curator at ARTJOG, an annual contemporary art festival in Yogyakarta. She has participated in several festivals and art projects that intertwine contemporary art and new media, one of which is the Community and Media Art Festival. For her, technology is not merely about the sophistication of the future but also encompasses classical technologies and past knowledge that innovate the way we live today. Her curatorial practice explores the relationships between art, community culture, and society, as well as her interest in historical dimensions that touch upon performative aspects and living archives in the present day.
