Polish painter borrows Indonesian motifs
Polish painter borrows Indonesian motifs
JAKARTA (JP): One of Poland's most famous artists, Roman
Opalka, will display his imaginative works on Indonesia for art
lovers from May 8 to May 20 at the Duta Fine Arts Foundation
gallery.
Opalka -- considered one of the first Polish conceptual
artists -- will display illustrations that he designed for the
Robert Stiller's books Innocent Tiger of 1966 and Stoned Ship of
1967. Both books are collections of Malay and Indonesian tales.
"Opalka has never been to Indonesia, a country he has so
suggestively presented. His vision appears in the imagination,
inspired by Indonesian art and craft," said director of the Asia
and Pacific Museum in Warsaw, Andrzej Wawrzyniak here.
He explained that Opalka made sketches for Innocent Tiger by
borrowing the artistic style of the shadow puppet show and gave
the figures the forms of their pronounced and nimble hands.
He said Opalka was impressed by the splendid reliefs of
Borobudur temple and then finally, in Stoned Ship, portrayed
figures carved in stone.
Opalka will feature 74 of his works. Ten of the works belong
to the Asia and Pacific Museum.
"It has been a great opportunity for us to make contributions
to the collection, because the Asia and Pacific Museum is
specially interested in the works of Polish artists, specializing
in Asian subjects," Wawrzyniak said.
The exhibition is one of four events organized by the Embassy
of Poland to celebrate its national day on May 3 by presenting
cultural ties between the two countries and to show the growing
interest in Indonesian culture in Poland.
Promoting ties between the two countries was a photo
exhibition presenting the life of Moslems in Poland, which was
exhibited at the Antara gallery in April, while a poetry reading,
featuring the works of Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, a master of
lyrical poetry, was also presented last month at the University
of Indonesia.
Apart from Opalka's works, Indonesian can also admire batik
works created by Polish children in Poland, which will be
displayed at the Pesona Indonesia, Tamin Mini Indonesia Indah
from May 19 to May 25. (ste)