One such individual is an artist and lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design of Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB FAD), John Martono, S.Sn., M.Sn. He received the award for his contributions to the City of Bandung, both nationally and internationally.

John Martono stated that the award was not associated with any particular work of his but rather an appreciation for his consistency in creating arts. This is evident by how he schedules his work.

"For one full year, I have planned everything from the media, size, and concept, so I already have a target of how many works I will make in one year. I then make a schedule to work for a maximum of 5 or 6 hours every day, starting in the morning," he revealed.

^{Artwork by John Martono, S.Sn., M.Sn. (Retrieved from www.johnmartono.com)}
Nicknamed Captain John, his artistic journey began even before he set foot on campus. During his junior and senior high school years, and in 1990, he was already exhibiting at Sanggar Olah Seni. When he was studying at the Textile Craft Study Program, Captain John actively explored art by creating personal works to further translate his coursework. This utmost dedication eventually led him to his first international exhibition in Korea in 1995 while still being a student.

Besides art exploration, Captain John was also active in student activities. In college, he was once the president of the Visual Art Study Program student body and the Chairman of the ITB Visual Art Students Association (KMSR ITB).

John Martono believes that everything in this world is a source of knowledge for artists and that the response of every artist differs from one another. He has the principle to always work happily, and for this reason, he has only one theme in each of his works: happiness.

"Happiness is not in the ending but in the process. I think it is not simple because it has its own complexity, but I hope that happiness can still be felt," he said.

With this award, John Martono is committed to realizing his goals that have been planned every year. Obviously, there will be a greater burden on his shoulders for his works in Bandung and in the world of arts as a whole. Therefore, he emphasized that the spirit of work and, more importantly, the honor of the award must be upheld.

Reporter: Asya Aulia Sukma (Architecture '21)
Indonesian Editor: Anggun Nindita
Translator: Ariq Ramadhan Teruna (Chemical Engineering '21)
English Editor: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2024)