Carrying out “Fighting COVID-19”, the work of two Undiksha fine arts students passes through the international exhibition

Two students from the Fine Arts Study Program, Faculty of Languages ??and Arts, Ganesha Education University (Undiksha) qualified to take part in an exhibition in the ASEAN Digital Art Society (ASEDAS) program. They are the sons of Wali Aco and Vincent Chandra. This virtual international-scale art exhibition to fight the COVID-19 outbreak opened on Monday (25/5/2020) via all ASEDAS social media accounts.

Wali Aco explained that the works on display used techniques in digital painting and old newspapers. His work is entitled “Beware of Corona Hoaxes”, which tells about things that are currently viral and are being discussed by everyone from morning, afternoon, and evening, his name is always mentioned on various social media.

News and issues are everywhere, the media continues to spread the names “Corona, Corona, Corona, and Corona, thus making people increasingly panicked, suspicious of each other, and distrustful of each other. Apart from that, his work also depicts excessive panic making the culture of helping each other in society increasingly fade. “So it’s not just the Coronavirus that is a threat, but the Coronavirus hoax can also be the biggest threat to Indonesian society,” he explained.

Not much preparation is done in participating in this exhibition. He feels proud because his work can be compared to a number of artists from 18 countries. “Even though I can’t meet the artists directly, I’m happy to be able to have an exhibition,” said this student, born in 1997.

This is not the first time Wali Aco has participated in an international-scale exhibition. Previously his work was also displayed at the 2018 International Printmaking and Paper Art Show, the 2019 BACAA, and the 2020 Stay Hopeful International Online Art Exhibition. “I hope this exhibition can continue and the Undiksha fine arts study program will always have a representative,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vincent Chandra exhibited two-dimensional works in the form of drawings which were processed in the final stages using digital technology. This work responds to the phenomenon of irrational panic which has recently emerged due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A phenomenon where people try to control feelings of ignorance and uncertainty about a situation with a dramatic attitude. “I tried to describe it as happening in a frenetic market atmosphere, with people buying up goods selfishly, which resulted in commodities becoming scarce,” he explained.

The preparations made to take part in this prestigious exhibition are generally simple and the same as taking part in other exhibitions, including preparing the work as fully as possible, finalizing the ideas you want to convey, and so on. “Of course I’m happy… even though real activities outside are currently very limited, there are many institutions that want to accommodate and support us students, aspiring artists, and from any discipline to continue working,” he said.

It is hoped that this work can contribute to efforts to combat COVID-19, which is still a serious problem. Similar to Wali Aco, Vincent Chandra has previously participated in many international exhibitions. “This is motivation to continue working,” he concluded. (hms)