Minister Fadli Zon Highlights Arts and Culture as Forces for Unity at ‘Art for Peace’ Exhibition

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has underlined the role of arts and culture as unifying forces in an increasingly divided world.

“Arts and culture are a binding power, a uniting force. Politics often divides us, sometimes even leading to conflict and war. But art and culture bring us together,” Fadli said in an official statement on Sunday.

He delivered the remarks at the opening of a painting exhibition presented by the SBY Art Community at 25 Hours Hotel The Oddbird in Jakarta on Saturday (September 6). Fadli noted that art exhibitions are not only platforms for creative expression but also testimony to the resilience of cultural activity.

“Even in challenging times, we continue to pursue our artistic and cultural endeavors. And this exhibition’s theme ‘Art for Peace’ is especially relevant in a world facing so many anomalies,” he added.

The exhibition, titled Art for Peace and a Better Future, highlights the contribution of cultural figures to the global peace movement. “Through these artworks, particularly paintings, the artists are expressing their visions of peace, visions that are sketched, carved, and captured on canvas,” Fadli said.

Indonesia’s sixth President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, founder of the SBY Art Community, also attended the event. He expressed hope that the exhibition would symbolize solidarity among artists committed to promoting peace. “Through our artwork, we want to show that artists care about the pressing issues of life, both in our own country and across the globe,” Yudhoyono remarked.

The exhibition is a collaborative effort between the SBY Art Community and four major art institutions: the Faculty of Art and Design at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Surakarta, ISI Yogyakarta, and Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ), along with four independent professional painters.

Running from September 6 to October 5, 2025, the exhibition features 30 individual paintings and a large collaborative piece created by members of the SBY Art Community at the Lavani Cikeas Sports Complex.

The opening ceremony included a symbolic gesture in which Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and several distinguished guests made the first brushstrokes on a blank canvas, which will later be completed by members of the SBY Art Community.