ART + CULTURE

INDONESIAN CULTURE EXHIBITION OPENS IN TORZHOK CITY, RUSSIA

Explore the unique cultural traditions of Indonesia and Russia at the "Two Countries. Loyalty to Tradition" exhibition in Torzhok, Russia.

27.03.2023
BY SUKSMAJATI KUMARA
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Torzhok, Russia – The “Two Countries. Loyalty to Tradition" exhibition opens in the ethnographic museum of the city of Torzhok, Tver oblast (province), Russia.

At this exhibition, visitors can enjoy a collection of 20 pieces of batik cloth from various regions in Indonesia, wayang golek, wooden statues, and handicrafts from Indonesia, which are accompanied by various paintings by Russian painters and cultural objects in the museum's collection.​

Representing the Indonesian Ambassador to Moscow at the opening of the exhibition, Deputy Head of Representative, Berlian Helmy, stated that the art of batik is a Javanese tradition that has been hundreds of years old and then developed in other regions in Indonesia.

"Thanks to its beautiful motifs and unique manufacturing techniques, batik has been included in the UNESCO list as an intangible world heritage from Indonesia on October 2, 2009, and the Indonesian government has designated that date as National Batik Day. People in Indonesia have long made batik their daily clothes and official clothes," said Berlian on Monday, March 13, 2023.

Berlian hopes that through this exhibition the Russian people will understand more about Indonesian culture so that opportunities for cooperation in other fields between the two countries can be opened up.

Two Indonesian representatives spoke to the audience at the opening of the exhibition. (Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Kemlu.go.id)

While Plt. Torzhok Mayor S.V. Kulagin, in a written remark read by Natalia Golubyeva, Deputy Head of the Culture Service for the city of Torzhok, said that through this collaborative exhibition of traditional objects from Indonesia and Russia, visitors can see for themselves the unique culture of each country.

"I hope this exhibition will become an important historical record that marks the friendship of the two countries in the city of Torzhok," wrote Kulagin.

During the opening of the exhibition, music, and dance performances by the folklore group "Kalina" from Torzhok city led by Natalia Nevedcenkova and Batik dance performed by two Kirana Nusantara Dance dancers assisted by the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow and Javanese songs with the rebab musical instrument performed by the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, Tri Koyo.

"The sound is unique, the composition of the sound of the fiddle and the sound of the gamelan behind it makes the atmosphere as if we were practicing yoga or doing therapy," said Darya Karacheva, an art curator from the Smirnov gallery, Moscow.

The exhibition “Two Countries. Loyalty to Tradition" is a collaboration of the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, the Torzhok ethnographic museum, the Friendship Society with Indonesia, the Russian Association for International Cooperation, and the Art Project "Through the Eyes of an Artist" and will last until April 19, 2023.

Torzhok is a city in Tver oblast which is about 200 km from Moscow, with a population of 40,000, and was founded more than 1000 years ago. In this city, there are many well-preserved wooden buildings of the XVII–XIX centuries.

This city has a fire extinguisher industry, a printing industry, and gold thread embroidery crafts. The ethnographic museum which is the location of the exhibition was formerly the Pozarski hotel which was famous in the 20th century as a stopover for the Russian emperor's family on their way from St.Petersburg to Moscow.​

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