goodmorningpapua.com – Since 1980, Donatus Moiwend has been allowed by Br. Henk Blom, OFM (late) to give color to each of the works of the Architects in the Franciscan Service Area of Papua.
Br. Henk Blom, OFM is a Franciscan Religious and also an Architect who has received various national and international awards for his success in transforming Papuan culture of the architecture of Catholic Church buildings in the diocese territory of Jayapura.
Henk Blom has a solid team and each member of the team is provided freedom of architectural expression, including: Ir. Herry Purnomo, IAI as an Architect drafter, Donatus Moiwed as a Painter, Aloysius Navurbenan as a creator of Sentani carvings, and the three pilgrims as chiefs craftsman.
Donatus Moiwend’s work contains a strong cultural character of Papua. Donatus Moiwend, who was born in Bibikem Wanam Merauke on October 31, 1947, often collaborates with Aloysius Navurbenan, even appealing the attention of foreign tourists in the 90s to record their works.
A prominent European photographer named Jos Donkers has produced documentary books by Donatus Moiwend, displaying them in art exhibitions in the Netherlands and in several European countries. A painting of Jesus with curly hair was once behind the exterior of the Jayapura Cathedral Building coming before the Mandala Stadium. Unfortunately in 2005 the painting was removed. Moiwend did not understand the reason of the removal of the painting, but as an artist who lived with taste, Moiwend kept his disappointment until he was getting sick.
Moiwend is able to tell the contents of the scriptures of the Old Testament to the New Testament in the forms of vivid painting that can even be accepted by various groups ranging from young children to adults. Some paintings of angels are always crowned with birds of paradise. It is what distinguishes Moiwend from the classical artist Michael Angelo, the creator of the monument Pieta in Rome.
In 2014, Donatus Moiwend’s painting in the Cathedral Building of Jayapura was encouraged by the Indonesian Architect Association for the work of Br. Henk Blom, OFM was awarded as the winner in the 2014 Indonesian Construction work by the Indonesian Ministry of Public Housing. Ironically, some of the latest works of Catholic Church Architecture in Jayapura pay less attention to cultural aspects, even though the principle of monumental building really takes into account the aspects of local culture to provide its own identity where the building stands.