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John

Tiswan "John" Senjaya Ruslim was born on Bandung on July 11, 1953. When he was 13 years old, he and his family moved to Australia where he spent his adolescence until he went to the U.S to study in Florida.

He stepped on Balinese soil for the first time in 1980, just for holidays, but he fell in love with the island. For the next few years he lived in Malaysia and Jakarta, but always with the idea of coming back to Bali.

John saw Balinese iron designs for the first time in the early 1990s. "I was impressed by the way it mixes the beauty of traditional wrought iron design with a touch of elegant contemporary accents. The iron center in Bali is in Tabananm where there are scores of talented artisans channeling their creativity in the making of iron. They have expanded the original concept into a distinctive style of their own".

John set up his own small workshop where he works with other artisans. Now married and with two children, he explains, "In this era of globalization, undoubtedly the artisan faces greater competition. We're continuing our efforts with new designs and superb quality."