Art for Peace by Sri Chinmoy

 

Where :

            Brunch and Beyond Cafe Palm Springs

Lakelands Library, Lakelands

Oct 29 – April 21 2026

Art for Peace in Mandurah and Rockingham invites visitors into a vibrant world of colour, simplicity and contemplation, using the paintings and bird drawings of spiritual teacher and artist Sri Chinmoy to gently awaken our own longing for peace.

How the paintings came to Western Australia?

The Perth Sri Chinmoy Centre currently cares for around 150 works that are on long‑term loan from Sri Chinmoy’s private collection in New York, alongside a smaller group of paintings that are kept permanently in Western Australia. The collection first arrived in Australia unframed, and local friends and well‑wishers arranged for all of the works to be framed here, making the exhibition a genuinely West Australian collaboration in the service of peace.

These pieces have already had a rich journey: some of the works now on display in Western Australia have previously been shown in civic and community venues that value the message of harmony they embody. The paintings and drawings remain the personal artwork of Sri Chinmoy’s estate, but they are freely offered on loan so that communities can experience them at first hand.

The accompanying photographs show Sri Chinmoy at work on his luminous, spontaneous canvases; a simple line drawing of his “peace‑birds”; and a display of framed originals and prints as visitors will see them in Mandurah and Rockingham. Together they offer a glimpse of the artist’s creative process and the warmth with which these works are being hosted locally.

A travelling collection of peace:

The “Art for Peace” collection is a travelling exhibition that moves around Australia and New Zealand wherever a suitable venue can be found. At any given time, a selection will be in Perth while other pieces may be on display interstate or across the Tasman; at present, for example, some works are being shown in Melbourne while others are here in Western Australia.

Over the years the paintings and bird drawings have appeared in libraries, galleries, community centres and civic buildings, and Western Australia has now hosted close to one hundred exhibitions as local organisers have remained very active in welcoming the artworks. Whenever a state or town secures a venue that wishes to host the collection, the art is carefully transported there, allowing new audiences to encounter the same message of peace in a fresh context.

 Why Mandurah and Rockingham?

Mandurah and Rockingham were chosen very consciously because their communities reflect a lively, multicultural spirit that resonates with the artworks’ themes of unity in diversity. The organisers hope that, surrounded by this colourful and welcoming environment, visitors will feel encouraged to reflect on peace in their own lives, their families, and the wider world—discovering that peace can be dynamic and joyful, not distant or abstract.

Local business owners, librarians, gallery staff and community leaders in both Mandurah and Rockingham have been remarkably open‑hearted in offering space for the exhibition, seeing it as a way to support wellbeing and understanding among residents and visitors alike. Their generosity mirrors the spirit of Sri Chinmoy’s own life, in which art, music and service were offered as practical ways to build harmony and goodwill.

Exhibition dates

Until 24 April 2026, a long run for which the Perth Sri Chinmoy Centre and the volunteers involved are deeply grateful.

Visitors are warmly invited to take a quiet moment with each piece—to enjoy the play of colour, the simplicity of the line‑drawn “soul‑birds”, and the sense of inner stillness they convey—and to carry that feeling of peace back into everyday life and into the wider community.

None of the art is for sale but is embedded with positive colour and peace as Sri Chinmoy paints while in a meditative consciousness.

Says Sri Chinmoy, “When we have something that is dedicated to the cause of peace, it is very significant in our life. The word ‘peace’ is very, very important in our life. You can say it is the most important thing in our life. Everything else we have in today’s world, but we do not have peace. If we want name and fame, prosperity and so forth, we can get them. But when it comes to peace, we do not easily get it. Peace is a most difficult thing to attain. But when there is a monument that mentions peace and people come and see it, they try to have peace in their own lives.”