{"id":3388,"date":"2015-09-22T16:38:55","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T16:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oongmaryonopencaksilataward.org\/?p=3388"},"modified":"2019-03-12T11:44:07","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T04:44:07","slug":"dolorosa-sinaga-laying-ground-better-future-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/oongmaryonopencaksilataward.org\/id\/dolorosa-sinaga","title":{"rendered":"Dolorosa Sinaga: Laying Ground For Better Future Generations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sorry, this entry is only available in Inggris (A.s.)<\/a>. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.<\/p>

\"Dolorosa<\/p>\n

Already in her 60s, artist Dolorosa Sinaga seems to never run out of energy; she is involved in many social activities and meetings, teaches classes at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) and works on various sculptural projects.<\/p>\n

For top sculptor Dolorosa, art is her life, a way to express her emotions and ease her mind \u2014 but most importantly, it is also a medium for social advancement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel that I\u2019m constantly challenged; if you care about what happens in society, you won\u2019t think you can ever run out of energy,\u201d she told The Jakarta Post<\/em> recently.<\/p>\n

Dolorosa is now actively organizing exhibitions that showcase the works of young sculptors which are based on research methodology.<\/p>\n

Such a method, she said, had never been used before in the country\u2019s sculptural scene but should be as younger artists have bigger opportunities to do research nowadays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our researched works, we give some kind of historical awareness to the public while participating to preserve our heritage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Recently, Dolorosa organized two joint exhibitions, which presented works that were based on research of the country\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

The first was the \u201cContemporary Eye of Indonesian Art and Culture Heritage\u201d exhibition in May, followed by the \u201cEkspresi Keindahan Rasa dan Bentuk dalam Gerakan Pencak Silat\u201d (The Expression of Feeling and Shape in the Pencak Silat Movement) exhibition in August.<\/p>\n

Through the exhibitions, she said, she wanted to set examples for young artists that inspiration did not only come from personal experience, but also emerged from an awareness of something, such as poverty, culture, or even repression.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, they can see themselves as part of a journey of a generation, looking at themselves as an agent of change to show their responsibility to the public,\u201d Dolorosa said.<\/p>\n

Such an initiative was also born from her concern about the lack of freedom among younger generations to think and be creative, which might further damage the country\u2019s cultural value, Dolorosa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fellow artists from various institutions and I are working on a series of cultural projects to respond to the 1965 issue that became the starting point of much cultural damage in Indonesia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said the project would not only file a lawsuit against the government over the 1965 tragedy, but also invite younger generations to fully understand about that period of time through art.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be some kind of reconstruction or cultural regeneration as we are aiming to lay better ground for better future generations,\u201d Dolorosa said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYouth must understand about the importance of having freedom of creativity because great ideas can only come from those who are free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Sibolga, North Sumatra, on Oct. 31, 1952, Dolorosa first became interested in drawing when her friend at elementary school introduced her to it. To pursue her passion, she later studied at the IKJ.<\/p>\n

Her father did not approve of her plans, saying that the arts were not a suitable place for women at the time. But she defied him.<\/p>\n

She graduated from the IKJ in 1977 and then flew to London for her postgraduate study at St. Martin\u2019s School of Art.<\/p>\n

Dolorosa also went to the US in 1984 to study at Berkeley\u2019s school of arts, majoring in fine bronze, and took an apprenticeship at Sonoma State University\u2019s department of fine arts. The list of her educational background goes on.<\/p>\n

Her extensive exposure to Western art did not make her ambition to improve the local art scene go away. She used references from her overseas study to help the restoration project of a traditional bronze foundry in Trowulan, East Java, by the Ford Foundation in 1985.<\/p>\n

Dolorosa has taught sculpture, the history of art, anatomy and figure drawing at the IKJ, and has been the dean of IKJ\u2019s School of Arts, since 1983.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always liked teaching; it\u2019s a form of my responsibility to the public. By teaching, I can also be part of conversations across generations to share what I\u2019ve got for future generations. That\u2019s very important for me,\u201d Dolorosa said.<\/p>\n

Her works, mostly featuring female figures, have been collected and put on display at places including the International Monetary Fund Gallery in Washington, DC, the office of the Indonesian central bank, the office of the National Commission on Violence Against Women and the Sol Art Gallery in Chianti, Italy.<\/p>\n

Dolorosa, who has held six solo exhibitions, was also the maker of the \u201cSemangat Angkatan 66\u201d (Spirit of the Class of 1966) monument that is placed on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n

She built the Somalaing Art Studio in East Jakarta in 1987, offering classes led by several professional tutors and receiving orders for many sculptural projects. Somalaing has also made trophies for, among others, the Indonesia Film Festival Award 2014 and Vidia Award 2014, Abang None pageant, as well as the Yap Thiam Hien Award and Kridha Wanadya Tahama.<\/p>\n

Located at the same place as the studio, her house, where she lives with her husband Arjuna Hutagalung, is open to anyone 24 hours and often becomes a place for discussions and debates on various topics, from human rights and politics, to culture and women\u2019s issues, or just a place to have a chat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always liked having people at our home, having discussions about serious or trivial things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite her activities here and there, Dolorosa tries to dedicate her weekends to going the studio and sculpting in order to relax.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would go crazy if I didn\u2019t do any sculpting. So instead of sleeping, I usually spend my Saturday or Sunday sculpting, until dawn sometimes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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