A highly refined aesthetic, a rich history at the crossroads of Asia, and the material and sensual possibilities afforded by a tropical environment have all led to the creation of Java’s unique visual culture. Pavilions in a 500-year-old mosque, linked colonnades of the kraton of Java’s sultans, neoclassically-styled verandas of a colonial villa, the cloistered courtyard of an 18th-century Chinese mansion, public buildings which form part of the greatest flowering of Art Deco outside Europe: all these are the settings of Java Style.
Tara Sosrowardoyo, amongst editorial, corporate, advertising, aerial, fashion and portrait photography work, has participated in numerous book projects including Art of Indonesia and The Philippines: A Journey Through the Archipelago. Peter Schoppert is a multimedia producer, writer and publisher based in Southeast Asia.

Photography: Tara Sosrowardoyo
Text: Peter Schoppert