INDONESIA: UNITY ON DIVERSITY

HEDVA ANGEL R.A.S

Art is a form of expression, an act of creating something that has meaning. Art has many uses,
such as conveying people’s imagination into a physical form, has ritualistic and symbolic
functions, a form of communication, or as psychological healing purposes. Many art has close
ties with nature, as the direct inspiration or as a visual cue. Indonesia is a country with one of the
most diverse forms of nature, with 52.1% of its land covered in luscious green forests with
beautiful rivers and animals wondering about. The wonderful trees of Indonesia inspired the
main theme of my artwork, which is “Indonesia: Unity in Diversity.”

Since the theme of this artwork is “Indonesia: Unity in Diversity”, I wanted to try and use
different trees that grow in various parts of the country. The first tree is the Rainbow Eucalyptus,
a tree that grows in Papua. The second tree is called the Teak tree, a big strong tree that grows in
Java. The tree behind the Teak tree is the Padauk tree, a tree that is commonly used for
craftsmanship. The next tree is the eboni tree, an endemic plant of Sulawesi. And the fifth tree on
the right side of the artwork is called the Cinnamon tree. Its bark is used as spices for food.
Besides the trees, there are flowers such as the Carcass flower, the Rafflesia flower, Javanese
Edelweiss, and White Jasmines, the national flower of Indonesia. The grassy plains along with
the river bordered by rocks represents the land of Indonesia itself.

The concept that I wanted to express in the piece is that the differences of the trees of
Indonesia can live in one forest complimenting each other and keeping the ecosystem healthy. I
want to make the forest as a symbol to convey the motto of Indonesia, “Bhinekka Tunggal Ika”.
This motto means that even though the people of Indonesia have different ethnicities, regional
languages, religion, and opinions, we can still live in one country, Indonesia. We can use our
differences not as a weakness, but as a tool to unite and maintain the peace along with the safety
of the country we live in. The trees and flowers each have their own beauty, and one doesn’t
overshadow each other. I made this to show that in Indonesia, everyone is unique. Our unity
means that we are all one in the same, and no one is better than another in the united body of
Indonesia.

The lettering that I used in the middle of the piece are cursives. It connects with one another,
coloured in yellow. I chose cursives to represent ‘connectivity’. The people, like the forest in the
image, are connected because of their aligned reasons and goals. I wanted to create a visual
representation of the sense of the solidarity and bond within the hearts of Indonesians, the unity
that Indonesians have due to the love we have for our country. I tried to make the lettering as
beautiful as I can to show that the bond we have in Indonesia is a beautiful foundation in our
country that is firm even as the time goes by. I chose the colour yellow for the lettering because
it represents optimism, creativity, and wisdom. The yellow in the lettering is my expectation, that
the support of the people in unity can make a bright future filled with great prospects for the
upcoming generation. I intentionally made the lettering bold in black, so that it became the centre
of the piece and to emphasize the theme of ‘unity’ in the piece.

I connected the trees of Indonesia and the ‘INDONESIA’ lettering with the overarching theme,
“Indonesia: Unity in Diversity”. The trees, no matter what colour, shape, or fruit they bear, are
still trees in the forest. They all have different uses and roles in the forest, but they collaborate
with each other to create harmony in the forest. This represents the people of Indonesia.
Everyone supports each other with the talents they have to create more innovations and improve
the quality of life in Indonesia, which is the ‘action’ of unity. The lettering represents the
‘feeling’ of unity, where the people of Indonesia connect their feelings and goals to come
together and make Indonesia better for everyone. With the people, action, and feelings
combined, it created an optimistic future for our country, Indonesia. The meaning of the trees
and the lettering connects the concept of ‘unity’ in the piece.

In conclusion, the theme of my art piece is “Indonesia: Unity in Diversity.” It is a piece to

convey my hope and expectations for the country and its people. I tried to convey the unity in the
people and feelings we have for the country to make a bright future for everyone. The trees
represent the different people of Indonesia living and working together for the country, which is
the ‘action’ of unity. The lettering is the ‘feeling’ of unity, solidarity, and compassion they have
for the country, that they would set aside their differences to achieve their shared goal, to make
Indonesia a better place where the people can live harmoniously with each other.
 SOURCES:

● https://www.art-is-fun.com/nature-in-art
● https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-artappreciation/chapter/oer-1-2/
● https://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Indonesia.htm#:~:text=FAO%2C
%2052.1%25%20or%20about%2094%2C432%2C000,carbon%2Ddense%20form%20of
%20forest.
● https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jati#:~:text=Jati%20hanya%20tumbuh%20subur%20di,oleh
%20jati%20pada%20saat%20itu.
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_deglupta
● https://www.greeners.co/flora-fauna/tanaman-kayu-manis-rempah-manis-daerah-tropis/
● https://courtina.id/kayu-padauk/
● https://talkingindonesia.com/3-indonesia-national-flowers/