A dangdut pioneer, two film stars, a pickpocket turned mime artist and a ketoprak  performer

Amongst the senior artists, and cultural practitioners lost this year in Indonesia were Syofyani Yusaf, a Minang dance maestro, Jemek Supardi, who went from humble beginnings to stardom as a mime artist, ludruk artist Cak Sapari, and Tan Deseng, an ethnomusicologist. Prominent gallerists, Leo Hamonangan Silitonga, the Managing Director of Art Moments Jakarta and Budiardjo Tek of Yuz Museum Shanghai each played roles in expanding the reach of Indonesian visual arts. Both passed away in March. Rima Melati, who won the award for Best Actress in the 1973 Indonesian Film Festival for her role in 1972’s Intan Berduri and Hilman Hariwijaya, who wrote the defining teen novel of the 1980s, Lupus also passed away this year .

When an artist or cultural worker passes away, the loss is felt by their faimilies and loved ones and by the wider arts and cultural community in the region. As we mourn their passing, we remember, and are comforted by the legacy of their creativity and their contributions to their local and national arts communities, as well as to Southeast Asian arts practices.

 In the first of an annual series, ArtsEquator commemorates the artists and cultural practitioners lost across Southeast Asia in 2022. This year, we focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and The Philippines, with plans to expand the series to other countries in Southeast Asia next year.