Mandy CJ Shares Her Spiritual Journey and How She Sees Religious Tolerance Through Art

JAKARTA - Visual artist Mandy CJ recently spoke about her spiritual journey and how she sees religious tolerance. This was conveyed through her solo exhibition of her artwork, titled The Way Back.

Through the exhibition, Mandy explores her personal side regarding faith, identity, and the search for meaning that is born from a long spiritual journey.

"In the course of my work, there was an early phase when I expressed a lot of anger, especially related to the double standard in religious narratives such as the feature of women who are often placed in two extremes, Mary Magdalene or Mother Mary, virgin or whore," said Mandy CJ, in an official statement, Monday, July 20, 2026.

However, the exhibition does not present criticism of religion, but rather a reflection on the possibility of reconciliation between faith and questions that arise throughout the course of life.

Mandy uses symbols that come from various spiritual traditions such as Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and other beliefs. He presents a space for dialogue that emphasizes universal values such as love, empathy, humility, and tolerance.

"Over time, my approach has changed. My work tends to be very literal, taking religious symbols as they are. I also began to process elements from various spiritual traditions such as Islam, Catholicism, to Buddhism and integrating them into one visual unity," he explained.

In his latest works, symbols derived from religious traditions no longer exist as a self-standing representation, but rather as a visual language that records the inner journey of the artist.

"This is no longer about anger, but rather a journey into the self and processing all experiences more fully," he added.

The same was also conveyed by the curator of the exhibition, Doni Ahmad. He said that The Way Back invites the public not to see faith as something rigid and closed, but as a space to grow through experience to tolerance with others.

"We are back to the starting point but with a different point of view and of course more tolerant, because we are taking steps that not many people want to take to find out," continued Doni Ahmad.

Meanwhile, the exhibition The Way Back features 16 paintings made using a combination of spray paint, mixed media, and acrylic mediums. Various works can be seen at the C Project Gallery by Museum Of Toys (MOT) Wisma, Geha, 2nd Floor, Menteng, Jakarta, from July 11 to August 15, 2026.