Artist AJ Fosik is Philadelphia-based and we post his wooden sculptures here as blog LostAtEMinor rightly pointed out that his worked resembles Indonesian gods. Albeit “guarding an intergalactic temple built by time-traveling monks“. Nevertheless, we feel there’s an ethnic flavour perfect for your inspiration.

More on AJ Fosik’s photostream

Via LostAEMinor

Technorati Tags: AJ Fosik, art, Indonesia, sculpture, wooden sculpture

The Big Picture posted a photo series on the miners in East Java at the Kawah Ijen volcano. They make a living by hacking off pure, solidified sulphur and deliver it several kilometres away for around just US$5 a day.

Forget jokes about the smell, these guys brave extremely dangerous gases and liquids with minimal protection just to put food on the table.

Sulfur mining in Kawah Ijen

Technorati Tags: East Java, Indonesia, photography, Kawah Ijen volcano, sulphur, sulphur mining

I don’t have the opportunity to post about Indonesia very often, so I’m happy to link to another great photo series by The Big Picture featuring large shots of the culture.

Some of my favourite photos are below, but be sure to click through to see larger versions of them.

Scenes from Indonesia

Technorati Tags: culture, The Big Picture, Indonesia

Divers in lion and dragon costumes perform underwater at the Jaya Ancol Dreamland amusement park for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Via National Geographic

Technorati Tags: 2009 Year of the Ox, Chinese New Year, Jaya Ancol Dreamland amusement park, lion dance

An Indonesian fisherman called Dede nicknamed the “Treeman“, began to grow tree-like warts, after cutting his knee as a teenager.

His condition baffled local doctors and medical experts for over 20 years until an American doctor had finally determined that the cause of his problem is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) combined with a genetic condition that impedes his immune system. His condition allowed the warts to grow unchecked.

On April 4, 2008, Dede received surgery in which medics cut off over 4 pounds of warts from his body. Although not completely healed, he can see the outline of his fingers and toes for the first time in over a decade.

Dede has two more operations to go through but is already excited to begin his new life.

Read more on WeirdAsiaNews

Technorati Tags: Dede, Indonesia, Treeman