Uncle Joy

Tri Haryoko Adi, or better known as UncleJoy, is a senior artist that is well-known among young and old artists. Besides his occupation as a graphic designer, he is also active drawing murals, decorating street walls and abandoned buildings. Before living in Bali, he lived in Bandung and Yogyakarta, and has exhibited his works in these big cities.
What is UncleJoy and why is it your pseudonym?
Starting from the joke of my white hair color, many people then called me Oom Senang. Besides this, my nickname is actually Joyo, so many people then called me Oom Joy. The street artists usually use pseudonyms when creating arts. This made me think to use Oom Joy or Uncle Joy as my pseudonym. Hence, the UncleJoy which still exists until today.
What brought you to street art?
Because my basic is graphics, street art becomes the most comfortable choice for me to create art, and the street is the most flexible canvas to be explored. There are no rules at all on the streets; I can be as creative as possible with various media like stickers, paint, spray paint and anything. Furthermore, there are lots of people passing by on those streets, making my works easy to be enjoyed by many. Whether it’s accepted or not, it’s not important.
What are your media for both your artworks and street murals? And do you lean towards a certain color palette?
There are no special media for my works. In the past, I often made stickers that were drawn manually. For now, I often use spray paint. As for the artworks I display at the exhibition, I often use marker and acrylic paint. No special colors as well. For me, all colors are special. Now, I use fluoro colors more often because they give an eye-catching effect. In the future, it might change again.
What or who inspires you these days?
Vintage robots, traditional elements, wayang, batik and Indonesian arts always inspire me. What is happening around, what I see and what I feel are also my inspirations.
Do you have any favorite surfaces to hit up?
Walls are my favorite.