Singaraja- The Covid-19 pandemic did not dampen the steps of Yohanes Soubirius De Santo from Art Education Study Programme, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha (Undiksha). It is proud that his artistic works have successfully penetrated prestigious exhibitions in France and Germany.
Confirmed, Sunday (10/25/2020), the student who was born in 1998 explained that in France he entered the “CoArt” exhibition held by the Provence Academy, at the Doramaar Gallery, Ménerbes, France. The exhibition took place last September 2020. The paintings on display are the works of the winners of the competition which took place in August. “This is not an exhibition like in general. But what is displayed is the work that won before,” he explained.
There were two works exhibited at the live exhibition, with the titles “I’m Starting To Be Spotted” and “Negotiable Crowd”. Meanwhile, in Germany, the exhibition that was followed was “(OBSCURE) Desire” which was held by Automat Art Space, in Saarbrűcken, Germany on November 6, 2020. There were three works that passed, namely “I’m Starting To Be Spotted”, “Behind The Rules”, and “Gradually Getting Better”.
According to Yohanes, the creation of these works started from seeing the surrounding environment. “This is my point of view about the world of art, where art cannot be a cure for a disease, but art can be a health therapy that can restore all the discomforts that exist in the body and soul of every creature,” he said. He further stated that it took about three weeks to prepare for the exhibition. “The preparation involves several matters of completeness of work data and personal data required by the exhibition organizer,” he explained.
Participating in exhibitions is not a new experience for him. Previously, he participated in the 2017 international drawing exhibition held by his department. From that other exhibitions continue to be tested. In addition, there are exhibitions at the local and national levels in Bali. The exhibition is in the form of collage art between islands in Indonesia. As a result, he was selected to be included in the Covid Affects Art 2020 catalog among 150 Contemporary Indonesian Artists who continue to work in a pandemic atmosphere. This event is organized by Dicti Art Laboratory. In addition, he was also selected to participate in a joint exhibition with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia with 74 Indonesian artists. “From this continuing until now in 2020, I began to participate in several international activities, such as participating in the production of books to commemorate Teacher’s Day in India, being included in international magazines in England, participating in several international art festivals, and others,” he said.
The experience did not immediately make him complacent. The desire to participate in exhibitions on a larger scale is still his desire. “But I still feel I need to learn more from all this. Because this is part of my process of getting involved in the world of art, especially fine arts,” he added
This achievement received appreciation from the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Alumni and Public Relations Undiksha, Prof. Dr. I Wayan Suastra, M.Pd. “In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, our students are still able to excel. Of course this is something to be proud of,” he said.
Furthermore, this achievement will contribute to the Student Rating System (Simkatmawa). In this case, Undiksha in 2020 is ranked 23 nationally. “That’s why we really support students who compete, including funding. At the end of the year we also give awards,” he concluded. (lpsy)
