Picturing a new world

As part of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2005, which closed on Oct. 11, Finnish-born art teacher Riita Thezar hosted the Between Worlds Art Workshop for children.

"The everyday reality in Bali is that they meet children from different worlds, from foreign countries," said Thezar, who has lived on the resort island for 18 years with her Chinese- Sundanese painter husband, Delly Thezar.

"So the workshop was something concrete to help them deal with the situation," she said.

Thirty-three children from local and international preschools and elementary schools, as well as from Thezar's art class in Gianyar, came together on Oct. 7 at the Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Center to draw their own pictorial interpretations of the festival's theme, Between Worlds.

Beginning with a song created by Thezar, the children learned to say "hello" in seven different languages -- Finnish, Chinese, English, German, Hindi, Japanese, and of course, Bahasa Indonesia.

"We tried to get the children to make each figure different, but gave up. To them, everyone is the same -- it doesn't matter the color of the hair or skin," she said.

As the students mixed together on the floor, bent over in concentration over their drawings, the theme took on a new meaning: "between worlds" was the natural order of the world in which they lived.

-- Photos and text by Chisato Hara

Photo A + B

An expatriate girl and an Indonesian girl pore over their drawings in the Between Worlds Art Workshop, while two boys of mixed ethnic backgrounds sip juice as they take a break together.

Photo C

Aag Istri Ratih Sucahyoti, grade 5, State Elementary School SDN 2 Sayan

Photo D

Wiratama, grade 5, State Elementary School SDN 5 Ubud

Photo E

Dewa Ayu Sinta WR, grade 3, Islamic Elementary School SDI Gianyar

Photo F

Putu Rian Wahyudi, grade 1, Suta Darma school

Photo G

Putu Andrean, grade 2, State Elementary School SDN 6 Gianyar

Photo H

Yanni Ferdaus, grade 2, Taman Hati school