#DPInsider: An Exclusive Interview With Budiman Ong Of Jia CURATED, Bali

Now in its fourth edition, Jia CURATED has established itself as one of Southeast Asia’s most compelling platforms for design, art, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This year, the immersive event unfolds from August 14-18, 2025, at the Bali Festival Park—a striking, repurposed venue that sets the stage for an immersive, multisensory experience. More than just a design fair, Jia CURATED brings together creatives from across the region and beyond, fostering connections and conversations that span cultures and disciplines. With each edition, the initiative has grown in both ambition and impact, serving as a showcase and incubator for thoughtful, culturally grounded design.

Founded by Budiman Ong, Rudi Winata, and Yang Yang Hartono, Jia CURATED is deeply rooted in Gotong Royong—the Indonesian spirit of communal effort—which continues to shape both its ethos and execution. This year, we spoke with co-founder Budiman Ong to understand the evolving vision behind the platform’s latest chapter, centred around the theme ‘Evolving Perspectives.’ The upcoming showcase seeks to challenge entrenched narratives, foreground regional talent, and create space for experimentation—particularly through new exhibitions such as ‘Architecture in Scale’ and sustainability-focused initiatives like ‘Waste to Wonder’. 

Design Pataki: Let’s start with this year’s theme—‘Evolving Perspectives’. What was the core idea behind this curatorial direction, and how do you see it reflecting the current moment in Southeast Asian design?

Budiman Ong: We wanted participants to adopt new points of view, to be curious, to shift and experiment, and ultimately to explore how new, changing perspectives can shape creativity and foster new grounds for curiosity and creative practice, leading to increased adaptability and inclusivity. This is very much our hope for Southeast Asia’s design sector. There is a lot happening here as most countries are still developing and growing—Indonesia included. The market and the opportunities are increasing, which is very exciting. However, Asia is still perceived as the world’s value manufacturing centre. One of our biggest challenges is to change this perspective—to point the spotlight on Indonesia’s, and Asia’s, creativity and on the abundance of local talent.

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Design Pataki: You’ve spoken about Jia CURATED as a space for collaboration and experimentation. What does creative collaboration mean to you in this context, and how does it differ from what we typically see at traditional design events?

Budiman Ong: The founding principle of Jia CURATED is collaboration. Starting from the way we work collectively with the pavilions, to the collaborations we encourage amongst participants, to the ones that happen naturally during and as a result of Jia CURATED.

Our mission is to showcase the extension of the creative process beyond individual efforts. We encourage collaboration between manufacturers, creatives, makers, and consumer brands who come together to experiment and to present bespoke installations and experiences, pushing the boundaries of creativity and design while fostering a deeper, more inclusive dialogue between Asian designers and the international creative community. We always wanted to create something different from a traditional design event, and therefore, constantly challenge ourselves to think outside the box. While craft, design, and culture are at the core of Jia CURATED, we also focus on creating an immersive experience that allows visitors to fully engage with the event. Alongside the exhibitions, installations, and initiatives, we bring in performances, music, and food—allowing people to relax, unwind, and fully enjoy their visit.

And we aren’t scared to take risks with our venue choices. Our first two events were held in a mini forest, and for our third and fourth events, we repurposed a decades-old abandoned theme park rich in history and character, providing a distinctive and unforgettable backdrop for the event. Jia CURATED is not just about showcasing creativity, but about providing a dynamic and engaging environment where visitors can really connect with creativity, with the exhibitors, and with each other.

Design Pataki: Jia CURATED brings together a fascinating mix of local and international names—from alvinT and Ong Cen Kuang to Jin Kuramoto and Pietro Franceschini. What was your vision when curating this diverse lineup? How do these intersections expand the dialogue?

Budiman Ong: At Jia CURATED, we look for designers with a strong identity, producing original, handcrafted pieces—those who are connected to their roots. These are the sensibilities we seek. We carefully bring together a variety of brands, designers, artisans, and manufacturers, enabling them to inspire and collaborate in a unified space through shared narratives. We love to connect people. Connecting creatives is like planting a seed—the right connection will be fruitful, and it will keep growing. This has been our intention since the very beginning: to create a bond and kinship that lasts.

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Design Pataki: Now in its fourth edition, Jia CURATED continues to uphold the Indonesian value of Gotong Royong as a founding principle. How does this idea of communal effort shape the event—and the kind of experiences you aim to offer?

Budiman Ong: Gotong Royong literally means communal effort—working together towards the same goal. It is a very strong Indonesian value. Utilising Gotong Royong as a departing principle, Jia CURATED pays homage to Indonesia’s cultural heritage, transforming into a platform that not only exhibits design and craftsmanship but also strengthens social bonds, emphasises collaboration, and celebrates the collective strength arising from the shared creative journey. We have started to notice—and are often being reminded—that we are creating a camaraderie, a bond, a feeling that we are ‘all in the same boat.’ We truly believe that this sense of unity and collaboration comes from our underlying pillar, Gotong Royong, which is essential for fostering growth.

This approach is distinctive to us and to those who participate in Jia CURATED, and it reflects the essence of Indonesia.

Design Pataki: ‘Architecture in Scale’ debuts this year as a new exhibition within Jia CURATED. What led to its introduction, and what gap does it address in the ongoing conversation around design and architecture in Indonesia?

Budiman Ong: We wanted to give more space to architecture within our event while still highlighting craft and materiality. We also wanted to find a format which was accessible to professionals as well as the public. We asked Suzy Annetta, founder of Design Anthology, to curate an exhibition showcasing beautiful maquettes of completed projects by Indonesia-based practices.

To work with the theme Evolving Perspectives, Suzy asked selected participants to submit a project that best encapsulated some learning or an evolution in their practice. We wanted to show the challenges faced by architects throughout their design processes. The aim is to share these evolution stories with the visitors and to showcase excellence in practising and contributing to the built environment in Indonesia.

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Design Pataki: Can you walk us through a few emerging Indonesian designers or collectives featured this year that you’re particularly excited for audiences to discover?

Budiman Ong: This year’s selection of local exhibitors is very strong, and I am hugely impressed by their effort in interpreting the theme and presenting never-before-seen installations and pieces. I am very much looking forward to the exhibition The Living Character of Teak by husband and wife duo—carpenter KalpaTaru and architect Conchita Blanco from Blanco Studio—exploring the evolving nature of perspective through wood; and to Mandaragiri, an installation inspired by the Balinese dragons by Design by Weld, a practice promoting culture-infused architecture.

Sekata Living, a contemporary hand-painted wallpaper company, will be experimenting with ceramics, weaving, and textured finishes, while Tegel Kunci, a family-owned heritage style tile manufacturer from Java, will respond to the theme Evolving Perspectives by exploring new design applications for their classic cement tiles. Both these brands are very emblematic for me because they embody a very thorough approach to craft and materiality, while representing both tradition and modernity. This year, we are launching Waste to Wonder, a new initiative promoting the use of discarded materials and simple, low-tech techniques to create sustainable design solutions. The idea was to reposition waste as a tool for craftsmanship within community-focused functions. Millimetre Manifesto, CushCush, and LagiLagi have collaborated to create functional objects scattered through the park, which LagiLagi and CushCush Gallery have also used to develop a workshop programme in collaboration with local universities.

As part of Waste to Wonder, studio andramatin will present a beautiful bookshop—an architectural installation composed entirely of recycled paper tubes—which is undoubtedly going to be one of Jia CURATED’s highlights this year.