Back in January, and suffering from crippling depression and anxiety due to the uncertainty of his fate, condemned Bali 9 drug smuggler Myuran Sukumaran picked up his brushes and paints after a long break.
Sukumaran’s plea for clemency – along with that of fellow death rower Andrew Chan – had just been rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and the pair were now left to await an unknown date of execution in Bali’s infamous Kerobokan prison; a date they are still awaiting.
And whilst the Sword of Damocles dangled ever-menacingly over his head, where it had remained for the better part of an entire decade following his 2005 arrest and subsequent conviction, Sukumaran’s first subject became the very man that had denied what looms as his final hope.
Today we’ve gotten a glimpse of Myuran’s talent – an adept painter and artist, it would seem – as the first images of his portrait of President Widodo have emerged.
Completing the painting on the 23rd of January this year, the portrait of the President – affectionately known as Jokowi to the Indonesian people – Sukumaran signed off on the back of the canvas with a simple, but profound, message.
“Jokowi. Myuran Sukumaran. Kerobokan Prison. Bali. 23/01/2015. People can change.“
Sukumaran’s artistic skills were recently rewarded through earning a Fine Arts degree, which he utilised in his work with the rehabilitation programs he, along with Chan, helped set up for prisoners inside Kerobokan Prison.
Reportedly, Myuran has also been painting brooding landscapes of Nusakambangan, where he is currently being held, along with Chan and as many as 9 others, all awaiting execution via firing squad at a still unknown date.
Photos: Zul Edoardo via SMH.
