Lou Zeldis is an American artist who lived in Indonesia for many years, working with artisans to conserve jewelry and textile traditions (both batik and ikat). The attar vine used in his jewelry pieces is also used in weaving of baskets and other containers and fiber sculpture, and the tradition is especially well represented on the island of Lombok. He has been producing unique examples of modern handicraft in various mediums using ancient techniques and material, working with living treasure artisans for over a decade in wide-ranging cultural groups around the Indonesian archipelago. He attributes this maniacal need to invent to his theatrical background and meetings with remarkable men and women.
Lou is known for his modern, bold motifs both in his jewelry designs and his batiks, where motifs range from images of rice paddies and ivory beads, maps and numbers, to the dome of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In his collaboration on ikats, we see the Tibetan Tiger Rug and Northwest Coast American motifs.
Sadly, Lou passed away recently. However, he has left behind a sizable, if dwindling, inventory for us to enjoy for some time to come.
