Muslim group protests painting exhibition<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA: An exhibition of modern art by young artist Sigit
\nPius Kuncoro at Kedai Kebun art gallery here has been disrupted
\nby a phone threat by a member of the Movement of Ka'ba Defender
\n(GPK), a Muslim fundamentalist group.<\/p>\n
The group claimed that the paintings exhibited at the gallery
\nwere pornographic works, and charged the gallery management with
\ndisturbing the Islamic fasting month, Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
The result was that the exhibition, scheduled to last until
\nJan. 10, 2001, was abruptly closed just three hours after the
\nopening ceremony on Tuesday, the artist's manager, Amrizal, told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Amrizal said that an agreement between Sigit's manager and the
\nowner of Kedai Kebun art gallery was reached and the exhibition
\nwas reopened on Wednesday and continued as scheduled, but the
\ncontroversial paintings were hung facing the wall.<\/p>\n
\"We'll hang the paintings properly if there are any visitors
\nwishing to view them, and we'll return them to face the wall as
\nsoon as the visitors leave the gallery,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"No party has complained so far.\"<\/p>\n
He admitted that eight of Sigit's works displayed at the
\ngallery depicted images of naked people. \"But none of them could
\nbring viewers to entertain sexual fantasies except for someone
\nabnormal, for Sigit does not compose realistic paintings.\"<\/p>\n
\"It's outrageous. How could they judge Sigit's paintings as
\npornographic works?\" Amrizal said.<\/p>\n
Sigit was born in Semarang in 1974 and graduated from the
\ndepartment of graphic design at Indonesian Institute of Art
\n(ISI), Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
He recalled that a man, claiming to be a member of the Muslim
\ngroup, called the gallery owner one day before the opening
\nceremony to demand the exhibition be canceled or the group would
\nattack the gallery.<\/p>\n
The caller also said that the group had warned the management
\nabout 'improper' art exhibits four times previously.<\/p>\n
GPK is one of several fundamentalist groups in Yogyakarta that
\nwas reportedly involved in the recent attack on a dialog
\ninvolving prostitutes and homosexuals in Kaliurang tourist
\nresort. The discussion was sponsored by the Association of
\nIndonesian Family Planning (PKBI). (44)<\/p>",
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