WHAT IS MENTARI?

Atelier Mentari is a passion project we started to give our trips a purpose.

We wanted to create an outlet to share our vision and philosophy of life.

Mentari translates to “sun” in Indonesian and represents a life dedicated to chasing an endless summer.

We are a model and photographer duo, always shooting together, and felt like it was about time to start our own thing.

Our backgrounds are very different, but we were both raised with a deep appreciation for nature, especially the ocean.

Surfing is a big part of our lives, which makes it a big part of this project.

We are far from being really good surfers, but we fell in love with the life mission of chasing empty waves.

Michael Naka

Raised by hippie parents in a favela in Brazil, I grew up with the ocean as my escape and surfing as my passion. Engineering took me to Germany for a master's degree, but it was modeling that unlocked a life of travel, adventure, and self discovery. I believe life isn't about collecting things-it's about collecting moments. The best memories don't come from what we own, but from the sunsets that take our breath away, the waves that challenge us, and the laughter shared with people who feel like home. Time is the only thing we can't buy, and the more we chase status, the more we risk missing what truly matters. I want to live fully, love deeply, and stay present for every fleeting. beautiful second. That's what happiness means to me.

Alexis Vangelis

I'm Alexis, 24 years old, shaped by three worlds - India, Vienna, and Greece. Growing up between these places set the course for the life I'm living now. chasing sunsets, good waves, and inspiration from the people and stories around me. I believe that to create, to share, and to tell meaningful stories, you have to live fully with all its highs and lows. Once you embrace this path of deep sensitivity, of taking everything in and constantly creating, there's no tuming back. For me, film and especially photography became the way to capture these fleeting emotions-to hold onto them, to share them, and hopefully, to inspire like-minded people just as they inspire me every day. What I learned in film school is that nothing is more powerful than a collective. We all have this need to feel special, to be in control, but real greatness comes when we let go-when we realize that we can only reach our full potential together.

Check out our latest documentary movie on YouTube now!