BACK TO EXHIBITION PAGE

ASIAN SPIRITUAL ART EXHIBITION 2001
Yogyakarta, July 27 - August 2, 2001

ACAA collaborated with the Keluargatuk Art House held a visual arts 'Spiritual Arts Exhibition 2001' on July 27 - August 2, 2001 which took place at the Affandi Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
This exhibition is held in conjunction with the 13th Yogyakarta Art Festival and especially also to welcome the Executive Committee Meeting of the Asian Christian Art Association which should have done in Yogyakarta on July 26th, 2001 to 29th, 2001. The meeting itself is postponed to December 2001. This inter-religious art exhibition which involving artists from various background of religions and places in Indonesia, China, Malaysia, India and Australia was well received by the public, art communities and the press.

<< click to see pictures

Weighing Religious Codes, Suwarno Wisetrotomo, an art critic.
Spiritual Art among Spiritualities, Sumartono, an art critic.

Opening Ceremony

On July 27, 2001 evening the Asian Spiritual Art exhibition 2001 was opened by Dr. Judo Poerwowidagdo, the president of ACAA. Spiritual worship songs was sung by the Duta Voice Choir to welcome about a thousand guests and attendances at the opening ceremony. It went on with dances performance and music collaboration of student group from various background of religions. Dr. Judo mentioned in his speech that:

"Asian Christian Art Association was established by a group of artists and theologians from all over Asia in 1978 at Dhyana Pura, Bali, and which in its first twenty years has its office located in Kyoto, Japan. A few senior artists from Indonesia, among others were: the late S. Sudjojono (Indonesia), Bagong Kussudiardja (Indonesia), Nyoman Darsana (Indonesia), Ketut Lasia (Indonesia) and from other Asian countries such as: the late Sadao Watanabe (Japan), Kim Yong Gil, Hong Dong Myung (Korea), Jyoti Sahi, Alphonso Doss (India), Nalini Jayasurya (Sri Lanka), the late Nikhil Harder (Bangladesh), Solomon Saprid (Philippines), Joseph McNeilly (Singapaore), Gumana Gauwrain, Miriam Rose Ungermeer (Australia), John Bayton (Aotearoa-New Zealand), Damrong Wong-Uparaj (Thailand), Joseph Scott (Pakistan) and others with theologians from Indonesia and other Asian Countries, among others: Dr. I Wayan Mastra (Indonesia), Dr. T.B.Simatupang (Indonesia), Dr. Judo Poerwowidagdo (Indonesia), Rev. Ron O'Grady (New Zealand), Dr. Masao Takenaka (Japan), together they founded the Asian Christian Art Association. Since 1998, the office of ACAA has moved to Yogyakarta, which is a sister city of Kyoto."

On behalf of the Executive Committee of ACAA, Dr. Judo extended our highest appreciation for the participation of artists from Indonesia and other countries in this exhibition.

ACAA has frequently held painting exhibitions in various countries, and this time Indonesia has the opportunity to host the exhibition. In this event the commitee also organized a discussion about Art and the Culture Reconstruction which was done at the third day of this exhibition. Dr. Sumartono, one of the speakers at that discussion who is an art critic from Yogyakarta said that: "Asian Spiritual Art Exhibition 2001 carried out at Affandi Museum was an important event which must be welcomed. This even was so rare in Indonesia because most of the art exhibitions that have been carried out recently almost never used spiritual themes. Those exhibitions were more suitably regarded as a place for buying and selling art works so that the works of art themselves were not attractive anymore. Therefore, the spiritual art involving some artists from some other countries is so interesting."

Following are some of the art works which displayed on that exhibition.
Please click the thumbnails to view image in larger size.

If you have any comments, please contact us.