*There are few sculptors in Indonesia and even fewer female sculptors. One of those is Dolorosa Sinaga.*
In 2020, Donorosa Sinaga celebrates 40 years as an artist. An exhibition entitled ‘Dolorosa Sinanga’s 40-Year Kaleidoscope of Art Activism,’ was held at the National Gallery, Jakarta. In addition to the exhibition, Dolorosa also published a book about her activism and her art entitled, ‘Dolorosa Sinaga, Body, Form and Substance.’
Dolorosa and Her Men
Humanitarian activists, educator, artist, these are three identities attached to Dolorosa Sinaga. In the exhibition hall stood five male figures. The five figures are the Dalai Lama, President Soekarno, Wiji Thukul, Gus Dur and Multatuli. Gus Dur is posed in the style of a reclining Buddha, showcasing the late president and Muslim cleric’s famous laugh. Poet Wiji Thukul, who was abducted and disappeared for his political activism under the New Order, is depicted reading poetry with his left hand raised. Soekarno, Indonesia’s first president and founding father sits crossed-legged sporting his signature sunglasses. Multatuli, 19th century Dutch author and anti-colonial campaigner, is reading from an enormous book and the Dalai Lama is shown relaxed and happy. As a sculptor, Dolorosa works with a variety of materials; as an artist, Dolorosa expresses her ideas freely but firmly. The five men in her exhibition convey an energy and spirit that she shares as an idea of humanity. Dolorosa Sinaga is also one of the initiators of the Turn Left Festival, and has the energy of someone who opposed and exposes New Order propaganda, which must set straight.
Dolorosa and Women
The office of the National Commission Against Violence Against Women in located on Latuharhary Road, Jakarta. Go through the main entrance, turn left and then right. On the left-hand side of the stairs one of Dolorosa Sinaga’s statues is on display. The Statue of Solidarity, a statue of a number of women standing a row, holding hands. The woman of the far-left holds a clenched fist aloft in a symbol of resistance. One of the women is caressing her stomach, she’s pregnant. “Dolorosa is very serious, many of her statues are created in the form of a woman,” said gender rights activist Saparinah Sadli in a statement recorded for the exhibition. She underscored the fact that Dolorosa is an artists that sides firmly with women. “I don’t choose women as subjects, but rather I am inspired by women. Women represent change of life,” said Dolorosa in an interview.
Her support of the women’s movement is not only evidence in her work. Dolorosa is one of the first people who supported the founding of Pundi Perempuan, the only public grant in Indonesia that specifically supports the rehabilitation of women victims of violence, and in particular by supporting organizations that provide services for victims. Pundi Perempuan was initiated by the National Commission for Women in 2001 and later managed in partnership with Indonesian for Humanity (IKa) in its role as grant manager. Congratulations for 40 years of creativity and activism, keep up the good work and continue to represent the spirit of humanity.