Indonesian Artist Creates Delicate World of Coffee Paintings

We all love coffee, but there are few of us that take their relationship with the stimulating drink to a whole new level by using it as a raw material for their art. Coffee painting has been around for a while now, but these days it seems to be gaining a new exciting momentum, and Indonesian artist Ghidaq al-Nizar is one of its poster boys. Al-Nizar (aka @coffeetopia) paints beautiful miniature scenes with coffee, using dried leaves, plates or paper as canvases. His delicate, minimalistic artworks inspire us to experience coffee in a unique way and visually enjoy its many earthy shades of brown.

Being an avid environmentalist, al-Nizar makes sure that his art reflects his views. For example, his Zero Waste Coffee series was focused on raising awareness about coffee’s waste products. He doesn’t brew insane amounts of coffee just to make his art, too – he simply uses the remnants of his morning coffee to patiently create his perfect little sepia-toned scenes, making sure that none of it goes to waste.

If coffee and art are on your list of favorite things in the world, make sure to check out al-Nizar’s paintings in the gallery below!

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16 24 7. This year I continue the journey with Tigris The Last Tiger-to be working with Wildlife Conservation Society of Indonesia (WCS) and Forum Harimau Kita (FHK) to promote "Save Sumateran Tiger" campaign through my art: zero waste coffee or seni ampas kopi. Poaching is one of the most immediate threats to wild tigers. In relentless demand, their parts are used for traditional medicine, folk remedies, and increasingly as a status symbol among some Asian cultures. In Asia they are considered to be one of top five animals that people will pay huge amounts of money to be able to kill. In many areas the laws aren’t very strict if you are caught hunting for tigers either. The rewards for successfully doing so are more than the penalties for getting caught. To save the tiger from the wire snares of poachers, enforcement of national laws and international policies must be strengthened. When combined with efforts to protect tiger habitat, these actions can help reduce the economic and political circumstances that continue to undermine attempts to save the tiger. * Lemahnya penegakan hukum terhadap kasus pembunuhan harimau dianggap menjadi ancaman ekstra bagi habitat harimau Sumatera yang kini populasinya sudah sangat kritis. Seperti salah satu kasus perburuan harimau yang ramai diperdebatkan, di Sumatera Barat. Maret 2011, Afandi, 49 tahun, seorang penadah kulit harimau tertangkap tangan sedang menjual satu lembar kulit harimau yang dihargainya Rp 125 juta. Menurut pengakuannya, Ia mendapatkan kulit tersebut seharga Rp 25 juta/lembar. Setelah menjalani enam kali persidangan, penadah itu hanya dituntut 3 tiga tahun penjara dengan denda Rp 3 juta. Padahal dalam pasal 40 ayat (2) Undang-undang nomer 5 tahun 1990 tentang Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Hayati dan Ekosistem, penadah diancam hukuman lima tahun penjara dan denda Rp 100 juta. Ini adalah proyeksi betapa miskin dan murahnya harga kemanusiaan kita terhadap sesama makhluk hidup Ketika hukum formal tak menghalangi, jangan tunggu hukum alam yang bertindak. My first submission, "Tigris the Last Tiger; Journey To The West" made of coffee. #burupemburu #zerowastecoffee #seniampaskopi P.S. Feel free to repost.

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