Debbie Tea is an Indonesian illustrator based in Amsterdam who makes story-rich illustrations built from layers of metaphor, often centered on ordinary objects reimagined with their own narratives.Much of her personal work draws on the language of NFT and crypto culture, spinning playful fictional lore around JPGs, airdrops, and blockchain fame.,,
In The Little Prodigy, a nine-year-old NFT collector and forecaster buys a house in cash and lives with a pet monstera that behaves like a lazy cat from radioactive exposure.JPGTO PATRONUM imagines a school of wizardry where students struggle to master the charm for creating the perfect JPG, and The Three Knightesses and The Mythical Airdrop follows three characters who witness a rare drop of eight legendary JPGs, inspired by Debussy's “Beau Soir”.,The JPG Show extends this cast of JPG-obsessed characters across further pieces such as Fruitcake Party, Home, and Bedroom Nostalgia, the last of which depicts Tea herself as a child already making JPGs.,
Alongside this personal work, Tea has completed illustration commissions for publications and brands, including a commission for a New York Times Opinion essay by Maximilian K. Bremer and Kelly A. Grieco, “Reimagining the American War Machine”.She illustrated a Lunar New Year collection themed around foods and their symbolism for the Vancouver-based clothing company Aritzia, and created marketing illustrations centered on a young girl's milestones for KITKAT Japan.,With fellow Indonesian illustrator Michelle Sherrina, she collaborated with Sanrio on artwork built around the character Gudetama, later produced as pillows, lanyards, and a sticker set.
Her work was among the 100 artworks selected for HUG's 100 Artists to Watch 2024 open call.
