Based in Jakarta, Ula Zuhra is a storyteller, illustrator, cartoonist and visual artworker. In 2021, she co-founded Studio Cacing, an animation studio.
Her works include themes of feminism, class, eroticism, mythological and esoteric practices in Indonesia through a tongue-in-cheek satirical lens using a wide range of mediums such as painting, video, cartoon and sculpture.
In 2024, Ula released her first full length graphic novel under Bali based independent publisher Cahyati Press titled Aca & Ica : Collected Stories. The book follows the issues urban youth face amidst the capitalistic hustle of city life, touching on various topics related to the experiences of women such as day-to-day body horror, consumerism, social politics, classism, gender roles, sexual violence and broader political issues prevalent in Indonesia. Aca & Ica: Collected Stories explores the struggles of urban youth caught in the relentless grind of city life in Jakarta, with a sharp focus on the lived experiences of women. Tackling themes such as body horror in everyday routines, consumerism, gender roles, classism, sexual violence, and the complex sociopolitical landscape of Indonesia, this graphic novel offers an unflinching portrait of modern existence.
Aca and Ica—two groovy girls in an ungroovy world—serve as our guides through a coming-of-age journey that blends hyperrealistic slice-of-life storytelling with surreal, sometimes absurd twists. Told from the perspective of two women in their late 20s, these stories capture the contradictions, chaos, and quiet moments of navigating adulthood in Jakarta.
Entirely hand-drawn and hand-painted in Jakarta, this bilingual graphic novel weaves Indonesian slang with English.
Exhibits within: New Forms of Fragility
