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Thursina Internasional Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) has once again made its mark on the global stage. It was Rahminiyan Rengganis Putri Marzukia’s time to shine at the International Festival of Paintings for Pedriatics Patients (IFPPP) 2023 in Yerevan, Armenia. Her painting was among the 500 entries competing in the prestigious event. In a great feat of artistic achievement, Rahmaniyan, a student of Thursina IIBS middle school, earned 4th place in the 11-14 age category. 

In her painting, Rahminiyan depicted the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated the world in the past few years. Through her painting, Rahmaniyan wanted to convey the staggering nuber of victims of the pandemic as well as the unrelenting fight of doctors and other healthcare workers.

This anual festival, organized by the Health and Art (HEART) Group, took place in November 2023. Last year, the festival took place in Muscat, Oman, meanwhile in 2021 it was held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Rahminiyan stated, that there’s a certain kind of dignity portrayed in her painting. “When COVID-19 hit the world, everyone in the world was affected. So many people died. Even doctors and healthcare workers are not immune from this deadly virus. You could say that at that time, our Earth was being gripped by a virus," she remarked.

My painting showed that not a single nation in this world was spared by the virus, explained the 8th grader. “However, despite everything, our healthcare workers unyieldingly went to war against this virus. Everyone was trying to do their best.” Rahminiyan symbolized this struggle with the image of chains that bound the virus in her painting. “This means everyone is fighting side by side,” she clarified. “Doctors, healthcare workers, volunteers, and the rest of the people are all fighting this virus together.”

Rahminiyan’s painting also illustrated the never-ending and tireless efforts of doctors, who, in the face of great adversity, often risk their lives for their patients. At least 2000 doctors reportedly lost their lives in their line of duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is what I want to highlight, that doctors and healthcare workers played a significant role in restoring the health of not only Indonesia, but also the rest of the world,” she declared. 

For Rahminiyan, painting is far more than just about making strokes of paint on a canvas. She must be able to immerse herself on whatever it is that she’s painting. It’s just about having an idea, but it’s also about internalizing that idea to become part of it.  “When I paint, I feel myself being sucked into the painting that I made. I felt the sorrow, the hustle and bustle of the hospital, it was all so incredibly painful,” Rahminiyah said.