Ade Itameda

Ade Itameda is an Indonesian tattoo artist and the founder of Sekala 369 in Bali.

Born and raised in Jakarta, he began his journey into tattooing before continuing his career between Jakarta and Bandung. In 2009, he moved to the Netherlands, where he spent nearly ten years living and working as a tattoo artist.

His years in Rotterdam and Eindhoven played a significant role in shaping his understanding of tattooing. Working alongside experienced artists broadened his technical skills while deepening his appreciation for tattooing as a lifelong practice—one rooted in discipline, curiosity, and respect for both the craft and the people who wear it.

Growing up between Indonesian, Chinese-Indonesian, and Dutch-Indonesian cultural influences has shaped the way he approaches art, identity, and tradition. Although raised in Jakarta, he realised how little he knew about the visual heritage of his own country. That curiosity led him to study the artistic traditions of Indonesia and the rich visual languages found throughout the archipelago.

Today, his work is inspired by temple carvings, batik, wayang, and other forms of Indonesian visual culture. Rather than reproducing these traditions, he studies their structure, rhythm, and symbolism, reinterpreting them through contemporary tattooing while maintaining respect for their cultural context and origins.

Ade considers himself a student of Indonesian visual culture. Through tattooing, he continues to research, learn, and contribute to an ongoing dialogue between tradition and the present.