NAM states to exhibit joint contemporary arts next month
NAM states to exhibit joint contemporary arts next month
JAKARTA (JP): Member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) plan to hold a joint contemporary arts exhibition here next month to enhance "spiritual understanding", an official said yesterday.
"Non-Aligned countries have always been engaged in physical cooperation. Contemporary art, with techniques historically inspired by European art, is common ground for the countries to relate in a more spiritual way," said the Ministry of Education and Culture's Director General of Culture Edi Sedyawati.
Speaking to reporters after signing a loan agreement with Jordan, India and Saudi Arabia yesterday, Edi said that member countries of the NAM, which is currently headed by Indonesia, can dismiss the general presumption that contemporary art is exclusively European.
"It has long been understood that contemporary art belongs to European culture. But actually, many forms of it, such as calligraphy, are not from that part of the world," she said.
It is hoped that the exhibitions and seminars change that image, Edi said, "so the world can see that you don't always have to look to the West to see contemporary art".
"The upcoming cultural event... is intended to pave the way toward the recognition of the plurality of the world's contemporary art and to introduce a new North-South perspective to replace the existing East-West dichotomy in the appraisal of international contemporary art," Edi said in her speech.
The loan agreement, signed by Ambassador of Jordan Luay M. Al Khashman, Ambassador of India S.T. Devare and Charge d'affaires of Saudi Arabia Amjed H. Albedewi, allows the works of artists from the three countries to be exhibited at the event scheduled for April 28 to June 30 in Jakarta.
So far, 37 of the 111 NAM countries have agreed to join the exhibition.
Edi said many countries declined to participate due to various reasons. "Some faced a lack of facilities and others felt the exhibition was not important -- perhaps because we did not give adequate information on it."
Indonesia, she added, has sent a number of special envoys to various countries encouraging them to participate.
Yesterday's agreement is the first of more agreements to come as additional countries confirm their participation in the event, which is expected to involve a total of 40 to 50 countries.
Ambassador Khashman in his speech acknowledged that the exhibition would be a unique opportunity for contemporary artists to show their creativity and to give a clearer idea of their respective country's people and culture.(pwn)