Hariyono, or Hari as he is called by many, is a 22-yr-old
Javanese artist currently living in
Ubud, Bali. Hari makes
a humble living working at a shoe shop the size of a typical American front porch, like most of the storefronts in
Ubud. There he can be seen everyday with his partners sitting outside in his sarong and bare feet making and repairing shoes. Hari sleeps on the roof of the shoe shop along with his 5 co-workers. If it rains, they get wet.
They sit out at the curb all night amongst the countless
wild dogs, playing guitars,
digeridoos,
tablas and
gambelan; singing and dancing until they feel like going to sleep. Often they share a jug of
arak and coke but Hari sings loudly and passionately regardless of the drink. Everyone knows Hari and calls to him as they speed by on their motorbikes.
Hari is considered
low-caste when he is on Bali, but the
Gustis hang out with him anyway, and offer him
free tattoos. He rolls
marijuana up with
clove tobacco and eats
steaming psilocybin mushroom omlettes. Sometimes when work is slow, he gets
crafty with the supplies laying around and starts making wallets, belts and wall hangings to give to his nearby friends and mail to his far away ones.
When Hari is not at work he makes sculptures from
rocks and other found objects; he can sell one on the beach at
Kuta for enough
rupiah to rent his own motorbike and drive down the coast. All the
Indonesians on
Bali ride motorbikes and none of them wears a helmet. Hari's
extensive mass of tightly curled hair flails uncontrollably behind him as he flies by the tour busses. He leads a
truly amazing life, if you ask
me.