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Painting exhibition showcases the art of a spiritual luminary

A painting exhibition currently being held at the Agung Rai Museum of Art in Ubud is showcasing the works of spiritual figure and world peace advocate Sri Chinmoy

Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post)
Ubud
Mon, February 7, 2011

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Painting exhibition showcases the art of a spiritual luminary

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painting exhibition currently being held at the Agung Rai Museum of Art in Ubud is showcasing the works of spiritual figure and world peace advocate Sri Chinmoy.

The exhibition, titled “Universal Oneness, Universal Peace”, is being co-hosted by the Sri Chinmoy International Center and the Jharna-Kala Art Foundation, and will continue until Feb. 10.

The exhibition includes mounted replicas of 35 works of art by Sri Chinmoy. The works were originally painted for an exhibition in Ubud in February 2004 that was attended by Sri Chinmoy himself.

Inspired by the concepts of universal oneness and universal peace, the Indian-born artist created a series of Bali paintings with those ideas in mind.

“Inspiring the mind, heart and soul of humanity to this noble concept was a primary concern in all of his endeavors,” curator Ranjana Ghose said.

“Sri Chinmoy was a bearer of light. It is appropriate to have his art shown in Bali because of the inner message. The Balinese are very artistic, and they developed a culture that was very much appreciated by Sri Chinmoy,” Ranjana said.

Chinmoy was born in Bengal, India, in 1931. In 1964, he moved to New York City where he lived before passing away in 2007.

He traveled extensively and lectured at many esteemed universities around the world, including Harvard, Cambridge, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Columbia.

The theme of his endeavors through poetry, music, lectures, teaching meditation and his 30 years of dedicated service to the United Nations was essentially the same: oneness in all and oneness for all, the curator said.

“The dimensional quality and the build-up of the color is almost jewel-like in an opaque pigment form. Sri Chinmoy’s energized, spontaneous hand and the swiftness of his movements are captured in the rhythm of the forms within the paintings.”

At the opening of the exhibition on Saturday, kings of Bali and cultural figures gathered for a program of harmony organized by the prince of Ubud and Gianyar Regent Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, Agung Rai of ARMA and Ranjana Ghose.

The gathering took place at the statue of Sri Chinmoy, one of eight statues of the spiritual figure standing in countries worldwide sculpted by London-based artist Kaivalya Torpy.

“Sri Chinmoy has promoted peace and universality through his artwork. We are very honored to have his statue in this museum,” Agung Rai said.

Over 300 students of Sri Chinmoy from more than 50 countries also attended the gathering. This was their sixth time visiting the resort island since the guru’s first visit in 1987. They joined with local musicians and dancers in the shared cultural program dedicated to Bali’s profound spiritual peace.

Closing the ceremony, the kings and other luminaries joined together to hold the peace torch from the World Harmony Run founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1987. The program has united millions of children and adults from more than 100 nations with a message of mutual concern and harmony. The run was held in Denpasar last week.

In 2004, Sri Chinmoy honored many royal leaders in Bali when they gathered to pray for peace and harmony in Bali, and now, seven years later, they are doing the same thing once again.

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