After last January, we have exhibited in 2 places, I Cat Gallery and Eastern Gallery & Academy, Vientiane, Laos, now we will exhibit at ARMA Museum.
It is Art Link that there are so few cultural and artistic differences between us Indonesians and Laotians, given our common Mongolian ancestry. We even have the same colour of skin. That which does distinguish us, is our geographical location, language, customs and traditions. These are what give us our own distinct identity and also what gives our art its different characteristics.
In this globalized era, differences in geographical location are no longer a major issue. Especially since the advent of the internet, the world feels like one place: those who are far away are brought close to us and those who are close are brought even closer. Because we can have contact with each other wherever we are, our activities -be they artistic or other, are immediately interconnected through the virtual world. There are no boundaries anymore.
The same way that it is difficult to distinguish us by the colour of our skin, so too is the art of Indonesia and Laos quite similar. Our differences can be found in our respective languages, scripts, traditions and backgrounds through which we identify ourselves, as we do in our art.
This art exchange project, initiated by Antonius Kho from Indonesia and Paul Phothyzan from Laos, is being held in both Vientian, Laos and in Bali, Indonesia. There are 6 Indonesian and 6 Laotian artists participating in Art Link, which is part of an ongoing art exchange project initiated by Antonius Kho in 2006. Since that time, Kho has organized numerous art exchange projects with artists of several counties, including; Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, La Reunion, Thailand, China, India, and others.
