As a freelance artist Adelaide-born Indija Mahjoeddin operates her business under her own name. Her enterprise currently offers tiny sculptures and wearable art made of porcelain and silver. She is always branching out though – another project in the pipeline is making chocolate rhinos in a bid to raise awareness of the endangered status of these creatures.
Indija began ceramic carving when ‘serendipity’ presented her with a few bags of fine porcelain at a time when she needed a break from working on her Master’s thesis.
Indija’s cultural background has informed her aesthetic and work in the arts, from dance to children’s theatre to writing libretti for a Sumatran folk opera. Everything she’s done comes together in her small sculptural pieces, which are works of art first and items of jewellery second. “My porcelain feet for example are informed by my dance training,” says Indija of the range she calls Divine Fool Fine Art Feet “after the barefoot Russian ‘yurodivye’ who chooses a life of privation and madness from which to call out the insanity of the world”.
For Indija though, being a member of Sister tribe means not being isolated in ‘this journey and struggle’. “I can learn from others and share resources and experiences.”
Indija aims to have a presence in the contemporary art jewellery world. “My ambition is to present my work in small work galleries and leverage this towards larger sculptural works and other design projects in the future,” she says. Whatever the future of her business, for Indija the joy is in the creating. “Nurturing each piece into life is a meditation which i hope transfers to the final wearer.”
Indija sells her work from her studio in Thornbury, and via Instagram and on Etsy (look for IndijaMahjoeddinART) with the occasional presence at St Andrews Markets in the summer.
