Naomi’s Oma and Opa / early 1950s
Where does the name Ina Jo come from?
The name Ina Jo is a meld between names of her own and her ancestors. She dedicates this venture to those who came before her— the people and spaces who made her who she is and brought her to where she is now.
Her Oma meant a lot to her growing up. When Naomi was younger, she used to correspond with Oma through email as a way of staying connected across the world. Emails always came from Bettyina, so for a long time, Naomi thought her Oma’s name was Bettyina. She only recently found out that her Oma’s name was in fact just Betty.
The name Ina was a government name created by Naomi’s Opa to add on to her Oma’s birth name so that legally, she’d be seen as Indonesian on paper, as opposed to Chinese-Indonesian. This was done in order to shy away from the discrimination and prejudice Chinese-Indonesians faced at the time. While this name wasn’t her Oma’s nor did it define her, it was a name Naomi often found herself saying when she was young due to the email correspondence they had together. Oma has since passed, but her memory lives through and through.
Jo comes from Naomi’s middle name Joanna. No one calls her Jo or Joanna, but she feels that the name is still very much a part of her.
The name Ina Jo is a meld between names of her own and her ancestors. She dedicates this venture to those who came before her— the people and spaces who made her who she is and brought her to where she is now.
Her Oma meant a lot to her growing up. When Naomi was younger, she used to correspond with Oma through email as a way of staying connected across the world. Emails always came from Bettyina, so for a long time, Naomi thought her Oma’s name was Bettyina. She only recently found out that her Oma’s name was in fact just Betty.
The name Ina was a government name created by Naomi’s Opa to add on to her Oma’s birth name so that legally, she’d be seen as Indonesian on paper, as opposed to Chinese-Indonesian. This was done in order to shy away from the discrimination and prejudice Chinese-Indonesians faced at the time. While this name wasn’t her Oma’s nor did it define her, it was a name Naomi often found herself saying when she was young due to the email correspondence they had together. Oma has since passed, but her memory lives through and through.
Jo comes from Naomi’s middle name Joanna. No one calls her Jo or Joanna, but she feels that the name is still very much a part of her.
The importance of this studio goes beyond Naomi’s work and offerings. It’s an homage and a sea of inspiration felt deeply from her ancestors and those who walk alongside her in the now. She hopes their spirits live on in this space and creates new wells of creativity and inspiration for the future