Citra Sasmita is a contemporary artist from Bali whose work focuses on unravelling myths and misconceptions of Balinese art and culture. She is also deeply invested in questioning a woman’s place in the social hierarchy and seeks to upend normative constructs of gender.

Born in Bali in 1990, Citra has never formally graduated from an art institution. She studied for a Literature diploma at Udayana University (2008) and at the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Ganesha University of Education, majoring in Physics Education (2009).

One of her long term projects, Timur Merah Project; Harbour of Restless Spirits, represents a geography of female figures, fires and various natural elements, composed whimsically in an unfolding of pansexual energy. While rooted in mythological thinking with specific Hindu and Balinese references, the scenes are equally part of the contemporary process of imagining a secular and empowered mythology for a post-patriarchal future.

Citra was a Gold Award Winner UOB Painting of The Year 2017. She was included in Biennale Yogyakarta 2019 and her solo exhibition Ode To The Sun ran at Yeo Workshop, Singapore in 2020.