Megawati Opens 'Mata Hati Soekarno' Exhibition in Yogyakarta

The 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia and Chairperson of the PDI Perjuangan, Megawati Soekarnoputri, opened a fine arts exhibition titled ‘Mata Hati Soekarno’ at Le Gareca Space, Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta, on Saturday. The art exhibition was opened in conjunction with the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Indonesia’s Proclamator, Soekarno.

According to an official press release received in Jakarta, the exhibition was organised to present the best works of artists to honour the figure of Soekarno. “This is our awareness as artists to honour an artist who also happened to be the first President of Indonesia, the Proclamator, the ideologue, and the excavator of Pancasila, who has always inspired us from time to time,” said Yogyakarta artist and event coordinator, Butet Kartaredjasa.

In the same press release, the exhibition curator, Suwarno Wisetrotomo, explained that the committee challenged artists to delve deeper into the figure of Soekarno and represent him through their artwork. Suwarno noted that this presented a unique challenge for the artists, as the majority are from a younger generation born and raised in the 1990s. Nevertheless, Suwarno believes there will always be interesting aspects of Soekarno worthy of inspiring artistic creation.

“Bung Karno is water, earth, wind, and fire; sustaining, growing, spreading, and igniting hope from time to time until today. More than half a century after his passing, he remains an undiminished inspiration,” he said. A total of 47 artworks are on display throughout the exhibition space. Through this exhibition, Suwarno hopes the displayed works will help the public to become more acquainted with the Proclamator, ensuring that the spirit of struggle born from Soekarno can be properly passed down to future generations of the nation.