The Sculpture and Activism Exhibition in National Gallery

Three Graces, by Dolorosa Sinaga, 2023

Last August 2024, I had the opportunity to go to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This trip was actually for business. But in between those matters, I took the time to visit the National Gallery, one of my favorite places that I always visit when I'm in Jakarta. Here, exhibitions are always held, especially fine art exhibitions, with quite diverse themes, whether a group exhibition or a solo exhibition of works by domestic or foreign artists.

Luckily, my visit to the National Gallery this time was greeted with an exhibition of two famous Indonesian sculpture artists, Dolorosa Sinaga and Budi Santoso. The exhibition, titled Patung dan Aktivisme, Sculpture and Activism, and was held for a whole month, from July 19 to August 19, 2024, curated by Alexander Supartono.

As explained in its curatorial, this exhibition is a dialogue between teachers and students about human values, especially in an effort to nurture progressive and democratic ideas through artistic works. Therefore, I found works with profound messages upon arriving at this exhibition. Almost all the works depict the hardships of workers, laborers, women, and other vulnerable or minority groups, whose voices are completely unheard in the landscape of Indonesia's recent political conditions.

Worker Not Die, Budi Santoso, 2024.

Or one of the works displayed in the courtyard of the exhibition building, for example, these two artists deliberately displayed an installation entitled Monument of Semanggi Tragedy, 1998-1999. This work clearly voices the bloody tragedy that occurred when all elements of Indonesian civilians fought to free themselves from the grip of the Suharto regime at that time. The state apparatus, especially the army, brutally crushed the demonstrators, and the Semanggi tragedy is one example of this cruelty, where dozens of students and civilians were shot dead by soldiers while holding a demonstration.

It is clear that the artists exhibiting here invite visitors to never forget the past human rights violations that have not been resolved properly by the state. For this, not enough with the work about the Semanggi tragedy, Dolorasa and Budi Santoso also display other works with a similar theme, but with a different bloody tragedy, entitled; Indonesian History of Mass Murdered 1965-1966. This work is displayed across from the Semanggi tragedy work. So when you are about to enter the main exhibition room, these two artists seem to want to invite visitors to remember the state's sins that have not been resolved regarding various past human rights violations.

Monument of Semanggi Tragedy, 1998-1999, by Dolorosa Sinaga, 2024.

After seeing the two works displayed in the yard, I entered the main space of the gallery. In the first room I found the artist's profile and portfolio of their work displayed in the form of infographics, which then continued with curatorial writing.

In this space, I can get to know these two sculptors better. Dolorasi Sinaga, for example, a female artist whom I previously only knew from readings and reviews of works in art magazines, turned out to have started her artistic career in 1971, and in 1985 had an internship at Pierro Mussi's ArtworkS Foundry, Berkeley, USA. Almost two-thirds of her life, this artist born in 1951 has worked and exhibited in various national and international exhibitions. Meanwhile, Budi Santoso is a sculptor born in 1980 who began his career at an art collective in Yogyakarta, Taring Padi. In 2000 he studied sculpture as an intern at Dolorosa's studio, Somalaing.

Dolorosa and Budi's creative process in the studio is displayed in the first room, along with the curatorial.

Then, entering the next room, you will be immediately presented with the works of Dolorosa and Budi with a layout that is exactly as mentioned in the curatorial, a dialogue between teacher and student. Where there is no special separation between the works of both, except that they are displayed side by side, and yes, between Budi's artwork and Dolorosa's artwork appear in a dialogical composition. The work entitled Anatomi Kerja by Budi, which depicts figures of workers standing naked on machetes, hammers, sickles, hoes, and various other tools, for example, immediately continues with Dolorosa's work entitled Live Matters: The Shrine, presenting the figures of women carrying children with various poses.

Anatomi Kerja, by Budi Santoso, 2023

Live Matters: The Shrine, by Dolorosa Sinaga, 2024

Overall, this exhibition displays more than 50 artworks. All the sculptures of these two artists present themselves in the form of a conversation, which when faced with visitors, especially through the messages behind each work, actually makes the conversation even more interactive, not limited to just Budi and Dolorosa. At least that's what I experienced when I looked at each work in this exhibition. All of the artworks seemed to invite me to contemplate further. Provoking me to sharpen my attitude and critical thinking, especially in relation to the current social, economic, cultural, and political conditions in Indonesia. The other hand, it has been able to thicken the spirit to be involved in the scene of activism. And from it, I also became convinced that the activism in question can be done in many ways, whether it is through art, literacy, education, and other public mediums.

Below are photos of some other artworks: