JAKARTA, 8 June 2023 –Today, Cambodian artist Srun Rida held a woodcut printing workshop at the Galeri Nasional in Jakarta, Indonesia. The workshop was open to the public and covered the basics of woodcut printing, from carving the block to printing the image. Participants had the opportunity to participate and create their own woodcut prints to take home.

The workshop is part of the 5th ASEAN Artists Residency Programme (AARP), which appointed Srun Rida, a visual artist who works with a variety of media, including woodcut, lithography, and painting, as this year’s featured artist. His work often explores themes of identity, memory, and displacement.

Galeri Nasional or the National Gallery of Indonesia is a museum of modern and contemporary Indonesian art under the Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. With a collection of over 2,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs, the gallery frequently hosts a variety of exhibitions, workshops, and educational programmes.

“This first collaboration with ASEAN Gallery can help widen the door and opportunities to bring the Southeast Asia art and culture scene closer,” said representative of National Gallery of Indonesia Jarot Mahendra.

The woodcut printing workshop was a great opportunity to learn a new art form from a master artist and a chance to create a unique and personal work of art. A second workshop will be held later this month with the students of the Institut Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Art Institute).

“This is my first time learning about woodcut. It’s really interesting and Rida is really attentive in helping us through all the steps,” shared one of the participants who tried woodcut print making for the first time.  

The ASEAN Artists Residency Programme 2023 is supported by ThaiBev and Oishi Group. During the residency, the resident artist gets to immerse in the cultural and artistic communities of Jakarta to share and exchange knowledge and experience. The programme is also designed to engage with other regional and international stakeholders from the private, business, or non-profit sectors for partnership in accordance with the spirit of ASEAN Community building.

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