Nai Rinaket is the pseudonym of my actual hard-to-spell name, Na’imatur Rofiqoh. I come from a farming family in a small village in East Java, Indonesia. Since childhood, apart from reading and drawing, I spent time playing in the river, on the rice fields, helping my parents plant rice, harvesting, and herding goats.
The simple life –where the sky was always blue and the rice fields were stretched vast, made an everlasting impression in my heart. It stays even when I grew up and I no longer live there. I, who didn’t inherit my father’s way of life as a farmer, found the link between my past and my present by drawing. I enjoy drawing things related to nature. Because of that, my works are dominated by green and blue. My first picture book, Hana Lapar (Hana is Hungry) (2019) tells about childrens cooking role-play; while introducing the names of plants abundantly present in rural.
Currently, I work from Surakarta, a small town in Central Java. I enjoy experimenting with traditional media, especially watercolor, pencil, ink, as well as digital media. I believe each piece of writing has its nuances and requires a different approach that suits them best. That way, I hope my works could deliver the feeling passed to the hearts of the readers.
Illustrated Titles
Gleger written by Djokolelono (Lingkarantarnusa, 2022)
Ingatan Masa Kecil written by Yona Primadesi (Sahabat Gorga, 2022)
Sepatu Bola Ngatemin written by Djokolelono (BIP, 2022)
Splish! Splash! Splosh! Water Tales from Asia Retold by Members of Federation of Asian Storytellers (Noura Kids, 2021)
The Great Man of All written by Najibah Nasrudin (Tertib Press, 2021)
Si Jlitheng: Dongeng Bocah Abasa Jawa written by Impian Nopitasari (Babon, 2020)
Menek Wit Jambu written by Lia Loeferns (Lingkarantarnusa, 2019)
Ada Apa Sih, Ada Apa Sih? written and illustrated by me! (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2019)
Hana Lapar! written and illustrated by me! (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2019)
Konferensi Musim Sejagat written by Setyaningsih & me (Kampungnesia, 2018)
Exhibition
2023 Pameran Ini Juga Ilustrasi #2, Bandung
2022 “Ilustrasiana”, Pameran Ilustrasi Bentara Budaya, Jakarta
2022 Book’s Illustrator Gallery (BIG) Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) Singapore, Singapore
2021 Bienále Ilustrácií Bratislava (The Biennal of Illustration Bratislava), Bratislava, Slovakia
2020 “Sengsara Membawa Nikmat”, Pameran Ilustrasi Grafis Sampul Buku Roman Klasik, Yogyakarta, Bentara Budaya
Let’s work Together!
For work inquiries or to say hello, please email me at nairinaket@gmail.com.
Bagi saya, menggambar adalah salah satu cara untuk menemukan diri saya melalui seni visual. Saya lebih suka menyebut diri saya ilustrator amatir dalam arti menggambar dengan penuh suka cita sebagaimana arti kata amare (mencintai) dan amator (pencinta) dari mana kata “amatir” berasal—saya mengikuti pandangan Romo Mangun di sini. Pekerjaan saya mencakup banyak hal, termasuk membuat desain sampul buku, layout, desain kaus; apa saja yang sekiranya dapat saya pecahkan melalui desain dan ilustrasi. Saya juga menulis dan berjualan buku daring di Toko Buku Kalangan.
Namun, kebanyakan pekerjaan saya berkelindan di buku anak. Dua buku anak bergambar (picture book) yang saya tulis dan ilustrasi sendiri, Ada Apa, Sih? Ada Apa, Sih? (2019) dan Hana Lapar (2019) diterbitkan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. Saya juga telah mengilustrasikan buku anak, terutama picture book dari beberapa penerbit, di antaranya Lingkarantarnusa (Yogyakarta), Kiddo (Jakarta), BIP (Jakarta), dan Tertib Press (Malaysia).