Public Republic

Mariana Velichkova’s interview with the digital artist Ari Hariadi

When and how did you discover photography for yourself?

Ever since I was a kid I love to draw. About 17 years ago, while studying computer management at the university, I found some software programs for graphic design and learned them on my own. During that time I took some small projects in design. After I finished studying at the university I preferred to work as a freelance photographer for graphic design and multimedia.

I really enjoy and love everything about visual art. I have developed creative concept, 3D modeling, animation, video editing and graphic art design. From then till now I still choose to be a freelance photographer and like to do multi tasking jobs using a variety of software designs such as Maya 3D, Adobe After Effects, Avid Xpress, Adobe Photoshop and A.Illustrator.

Last year I joined a virtual world called Second Life. In Second Life we use our avatars to communicate with each other. We can create a great and stunning avatar in Second Life. We buy and wear beautiful outfits and get some nice poses.

I always take snapshots when I meet a beautiful avatar. Afterward I retouch the pictures in Photoshop to make them look more artistic. I’m very excited about taking more snapshots and developing my work in digital art.

In what direction do you experiment?

I love to make pictures in different styles and concepts for each one of my works, from modern style, ethnic, retro, pop, surrealism and so on. Sometimes I use the snapshot just for references of my work.

These days I take my work in digital painting in Photoshop more seriously. I am probably getting addicted to the work I do using wacom stylus. I always feel satisfied when I can paint something exactly the same as it is in my imagination.

What is the most interesting challenge you have been facing lately?

After I found the concept for my pictures, I always consider how to make them not only eye-catching, but also entertaining. I would like people to explore every part of my pictures. So the intricate details are important to me.

What are your personal concepts in relation to visual arts?

I don’t have specific concepts for visual arts; it’s very dynamic, personal and depends on many things. What I can say is that visual arts not only serve our eyes, but also our feelings and our life. It is supposed to have a great deal of meaning. For me visual art is frustration and satisfaction

In your opinion what is the essence of photography?

Lighting, angle and composition.

What is your dream as a photographer?

I would like to become a digital painter Make pictures of famous people or places while travelling around the world

Biography:

When Ari Hariadi joined Second Life he used “Harry Huffman” as a name for his avatar. Second Life is a virtual community, where you can do many activities like in the real world (secondlife.com). It has almost been a year since Hariadi became a member of Second Life and has been working as a photographer on it.

Like in real life many times he gets jobs to take photos in the community. People in Second Life need photos for many purposes, such as photo profile, weddings, ads, decoration, etc. His vision is that snapshots in Second Life are really good material for art. He usually retouches them in Photoshop, so they’re not original snapshots, but become works of art.

He is from Indonesia and lives in Jakarta. In real life he is a freelance digital artist and now mostly works at home. First in his career he worked as a graphic designer, afterward he worked as a video editor and animator for years. Nowadays he is a video composer and FX. He has been able to acquire some relatively large clients in the city where he lives, such as McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz, Unilever, Sony Music, etc.

Among his works he loves graphic art the most. He always makes art pictures whether for his work or just to spend his own time. He never stops improving his skills to become a better digital painter. He has a dream to go around the world, learn about different countries, meet new people while continuing to pursue his love of being creative and making new art.