Joren Joshua
Is our artist line-up for Tangi Street Art Festival 2025
Rotterdam-based illustrator and muralist Joren Joshua is known for his witty, absurd, and sharply observational style. His work often captures the humor, oddities, and contradictions of everyday life, rendered in a playful tone that contrasts with its underlying complexity. Drawing on influences from graffiti and printmaking traditions, Joshua has developed a distinctive graphic style—bold yet fluid, simple yet multi-layered.
His practice spans a wide spectrum, from editorial illustration to large-scale murals, always inviting viewers to look closer and uncover hidden narratives embedded in his compositions. Over time, he has established himself as one of the Netherlands’ most recognizable young illustrators, combining a distinctly European sensibility with ideas that resonate globally.
Joshua’s murals reflect a playful engagement with public space, transforming urban environments into immersive visual stories. Whether through character-driven scenes, layered humor, or thoughtful observation, his work balances aesthetic clarity with narrative depth.
Joren Joshua is one of the invited artists for the third edition of Tangi Street Art Festival, taking place from 11–17 May 2025. The festival’s theme, Tri Hita Karana, emphasizes harmony in three key relationships: spirituality, humanity, and nature.
Through Parahyangan (the divine), artists explore spirituality and artistic expression; Pawongan (humanity) fosters collaboration, unity, and community engagement; and Palemahan (nature) highlights environmental consciousness and sustainability.
Joshua’s participation, proudly supported by Erasmus Huis Jakarta, brings his playful and observational approach to the festival, transforming public walls into spaces where humor, narrative, and cultural insight coexist. His murals invite audiences to engage with local life, bridging European illustration techniques with Balinese cultural inspiration. By doing so, the festival encourages dialogue between tradition, creativity, and contemporary visual expression, allowing his work to resonate with both the community and visitors alike.
Upon arriving in Bali for the first time, Joren Joshua was excited to explore the island, having grown up in Rotterdam, where Indonesian culture was familiar to him through food and community. For Tangi Street Art Festival 2025, he prepared by researching Balinese culture and discussing with the Tangi team what themes and motifs were appropriate for his mural. Inspired by the Balinese dance “Tari Baris”, he translated its energy and movement into playful characters and vibrant colors across his wall.
His mural was located directly across from an elementary school in the village, which brought him unexpected joy. Each day after school, children eagerly gathered to watch his process, asking questions and interviewing him about the mural. Joshua took the time to greet and explain his work to them, forming a warm connection with the local community.
Through this exchange, his mural became more than a static artwork—it transformed into a site of interaction, curiosity, and shared experience. The combination of lively colors, playful imagery, and cultural references allowed Joshua to merge his European illustrative approach with Balinese inspiration, creating a piece that celebrated both local tradition and universal storytelling.