Dewa Made Johana

Dewa Made Johana
(b. 1994, Silungan, Bali)

Dewa Made Johana, or Jo, is a Balinese artist whose practice is rooted in printmaking. He began exploring the medium during his studies at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha (Undiksha), focusing early on linocut and carborundum techniques. In recent years, he has developed a distinctive approach that combines archival photography with relief and intaglio printing methods.

Archival fragments are a constant presence in his work—an effort to evoke the scorched traces of memory embedded in every photograph she reinterprets. Johana can be described as deeply obsessive about her manual reproduction process. In each stage of her creation, this obsession stems from a persistent curiosity about the perception of the past: where the photograph originated, who was behind the camera, and who produced the image. These questions generate a personal dimension of memorabilia for him, even when the memories invoked are deeply intimate.

His printmaking practice also incorporates glossy stainless steel material, which creates a reflective surface that engages viewers by mirroring their own presence as they encounter the fine-lined impressions. Johana’s work functions as an entryway into a mirror of the past—one that stirs emotion, memory, and the lingering imprints of human life across time.

Over the past four years, Johana has participated in numerous group exhibitions across Indonesia, including in Bali, Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya, at institutions such as Bentara Budaya Bali, Neka Art Museum, Museum Puri Lukisan, Sika Gallery, and Langgeng Gallery.