Art mission aims to melt icy ties with Australia

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

An Australian cultural mission comprising Wollongong City Gallery director Peter O'Neill and its advisor on Indonesian culture Rob Goodfellow is in Indonesia to attempt to repair the two countries' strained ties.

The two are completing their week-long stay in Indonesia with a five-day visit to Yogyakarta after a two-day stop in Bali.

"During our stay in Bali, we met with Bali Governor Dewa Beratha and he was very supportive of the program we proposed," Goodfellow said during a visit to Ardiyanto Gallery on Wednesday night.

He said they were preparing a joint program to hold a textile exhibition in Bali, Yogyakarta, and the city of Wollongong, Australia, involving 20 Australian artists whose works were inspired by the Indonesian culture.

"Many Australian artists have visited Indonesia. They brought their experiences they found here back home. Some of them expressed it in their art," O'Neill said.

Dewa Beratha, according to Goodfellow, had expressed his willingness to host such an exhibition in June and July 2002 in line with the annual Bali Art Festival on the island.

The same exhibition would be held in Yogyakarta in August 2002 and in Wollongong City the following month.

"The number of works to be exhibited will depend on the space available," said Goodfellow, adding that the visit to Ardiyanto Gallery was to scope for an exhibition room that could accommodate as many pieces as possible.

"Wollongong Mayor Lord Mayor George Harrison is scheduled to attend the exhibitions as a special guest," he said.

While staying in the city, the pair will meet with both the Yogyakarta mayor and Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X to discuss the joint exhibition.

"We want to convince everybody that there are still possibilities to melt the two countries's cold ties. We also want to show that there are many Indonesians and Australians who are still trying to maintain good ties between their peoples," Goodfellow said.