Kedamaian

An Interconnection of Peace, Love and Compassion

View individual images view

Anna 'Niblic' Heggie talks to Sonia Caeiro view about Indonesia, art and terrorism

View excerpts from the DVDs view created for the 2006 and 2007 Kedamaian Exhibitions

Kedamaian the word refers in Sanskrit to the state of the soul. Harmony with the self, nature and the environment are considered in this reference. Kedamaian is a project involving three contemporary artists from three different countries.

The artists are:

When Anna Niblic Heggie, local Lennox Head artist introduced two artist friends from Indonesia and Canada the dialogue became a consistent exchange via the internet of ideas, philosophies, world news and art.

The project involves a mutual symbiosis of the three artists whose artistic lives and work interconnect through technology and the transcendental. The three artists are bound together by their understanding of philosophy, science, anthropology, world events, and the environment. Their individual study, work as art educators and cultural ambassadors for the arts have taken them to some of the most remote, ancient, culturally and environmentally sensitive parts of the world.

The exhibition at The Waywood Gallery in Byron Bay 08 will be an exciting oeuvre of the three artist’s works. Working alone, separately in their own realms and far from each other geographically yet through vibrant exchange of ideas transmitted online and through other forms of communication, they aim to provide the viewer with feelings of interconnectedness that outreach and touch the soul.

Kedamaian in Sanskrit refers to the state of the soul and includes nature and the environment.

This became an important focus for the three artists who united in the aftermath of the terrible 2002 Bali Bombings and found themselves discussing not only the immediate response to the devastation but also the destructive influences of fear which followed.

This is the third Kedamaian exhibition. In 2006 Anna travelled with her work to Canada where Kedamaian 1 was first shown in Toronto. Canadian artist, Sandra Phillips incorporated a performance piece into the exhibition featuring the works of the three artists at The Barber Gallery. The artists ran workshops and lectures in conjunction with Kedamaian at Guelph University and Cambridge Library.

In 2007 Kedamaian 11 toured to Indonesia and was shown at The Rudana Museum in Bali with a magnificent opening night coinciding with Indonesia’s Independence Day and The Masters of Indonesia Exhibition. The three artists, who were all present, received high accolades and excellent critiques as the first Photo-media exhibition to be held at the Rudana Museum. A Kedamaian multi-media DVD was shown at the opening to more than 600 seated guests. Senator Rudana publicly acknowledged the exhibition and the three artists for their important contribution to world cultural interrelations.

Now in 2008, Kedamaian 111 will be shown in Australia at The Wayward Gallery, Byron Bay and opens on the 11th of April.