"I've always been sad that a wonderful country and wonderful people are so separated by barbed wire, by political ideology, by history, which unfortunately happened."
Jolly Kunjappu was born in Chennai (India) in 1950 and now lives in Munich. His painting “Dancing To Freedom” portrays his hope for freedom and peaceful coexistence and was inspired by his passion for music. It speaks out against imagined borders and the walls in people’s minds and calls for mutual respect.
Jolly Kunjappu in the interview
The painting “Dancing To Freedom” by Jolly Kunjappu shows two dancing stick figures. It expresses the artist’s wish for freedom and peaceful coexistence. Kunjappu, who sees himself as an ambassador for nature and world peace, also put his message in writing along the lower edge of the painting: “No more wars, no more walls, a united world”. In 2009 he added more text, appealing for respect between people and an end to repression and terrorism.
“When the wall came down in 1989 I was overjoyed, overjoyed to know that we can't separate people who actually belong together worldwide with walls - in any country!"
Jolly Kunjappu has lived in Germany since 1970. Based in Munich, he is a coach, performance artist, musician, painter, and author. He is also a qualified marketing and hotel manager and runs a restaurant in Munich. He has released six CDs of his solo work as a musician, composed ballet music for theatres including the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and performed as a guest musician with the Rolling Stones. He has exhibited many of his paintings.