Zulfiana Rofi’atul Asiyah, a Fine Arts student at the Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya (FIB UB), participated in Voice of Colors held by Satunesia and Zen1 Gallery in Central Jakarta on Friday-Sunday, April 26-27, 2024.
Before the exhibition was held, Opi and her fellow deaf painters who would exhibit their works first received training from Satunesia. The training was guided by a painter, so they received prior training before the exhibition. From the training, participants also created works to be exhibited.
“I registered in early February, my work was selected. I was invited to Jakarta to attend a workshop for 1 month. I was happy because I was given training before the exhibition,” said Opi when asked how she was able to participate in the exhibition.
According to Opi, the workshop was very useful for her. She was certainly very enthusiastic because according to her, her trainer was very competent in his field.
“The trainer is a professional painter. So I learned a lot from him,” she said.
From the workshop, she painted three paintings. At the exhibition, she exhibited five paintings. Three of her paintings were sold at auction on the last day of the exhibition.
“Not bad, there were three paintings sold at auction,” she said about her paintings that covered many themes.
Opi also revealed that at the last exhibition she participated in, the availability of sign language interpreters really helped her in communicating with the public and visitors. “At the last exhibition in Jakarta “Suara dalam Karya“, there was JBI access that made it easier for me to communicate and explain my works to the audience so that (I could answer, read) and they asked questions.”
Opi is very concerned about the accessibility for Deaf friends’ activity. She highlighted how the availability of sign language interpreters is very important in activities, especially those involving Deaf people as participants or organizers. “The exhibition was one of my best exhibitions, and I hope that in the future, JBI access can be provided for deaf artists at exhibitions in Indonesia. Of course, there is no reason why there is no funding for JBI,” he said.
Voice of Colors, also known as “Suara dalam Karya”, is an exhibition and auction of paintings by deaf painters who promote disability inclusion in Indonesia. In addition to the exhibition of paintings by deaf artists, this activity is also accompanied by a talk show that invites expert speakers in their respective fields, especially in terms of inclusion. Satunesia is indeed known as an organization that pays great attention to disability inclusion.
Zulfiana, who is familiarly called Opi, is a deaf painter who has participated in various painting exhibitions. Currently, she is an 8th semester student of Fine Arts, FIB UB. Before this painting exhibition, Opi had participated in several painting exhibitions in Semarang, Demak, Yogyakarta, and Malang. She has been actively painting since she was little and is very interested in visual works such as paintings. As a deaf person, she is also active in various organizations on campus and off campus such as Akar Tuli Malang.
In addition to Opi, there are also several deaf painters from various regions in Indonesia. In accordance with its purpose, the exhibition and auction are intended to promote works, build inclusive solidarity, and encourage art collectors to recognize and collect diverse works. [mahali/sitirahma/UB PR/ Trans. Iir]
