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

Theodora Agni remembers the artists and cultural workers Indonesia lost in 2022.

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.

Image credit: Youtube/@tukarposisi

Ahmad Zulkifli Lubis

Voice Actor

23 February 1971 – 17 February 2022

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Image credit: Owntalk.co.id

Srihadi Soedarsono

Painter, lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology and the Jakarta Art Institute

4 December 1931 – 26 February 2022

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Image credit: topsatu.com

Syofyani Yusaf

Choreographer, Minang dance maestro

14 December 1935 – 4 March 2022

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Image credit: Instagram/@thehilmanhariwijaya

Hilman Hariwijaya

Writer of Indonesian ‘80s hit novel Lupus 

25 August 1965 – 9 March 2022

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Image credit: Facebook/Leo Silitonga

Leo Hamonangan Silitonga

Managing Director of Art Moments Jakarta

11 August 1965 – 15 March 2022

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Image credit: Twitter/@artasiapacific

Budiardjo Tek

Art collector, founder of the Yuz Museum in Shanghai

27 October 1957 – 18 March 2022

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Image credit: Instagram/@nusantarabondan

Bondan Nusantara

Cultural practitioner, pioneering traditional theater Kethoprak 

6 October 1952 – 20 April 2022

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Image credit: Twitter/@primaradiosby_

Ona Sutra Nasution

Musician, pioneering Indonesian ‘90s Dangdut music

1954 – 12 April 2022

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Image credit: Twitter/@mazzini_gsp

Mieke Wijaya (Miecke Marie De Rijder)

Actress, one of the stars in Tiga Dara, a 1957 musical comedy film directed by Usmar Ismail

17 March 1940 – 3 May 2022

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Image credit: Instagram/@romasophiaan

Rima Melati (Marjolien Tambajong)

Actress, winner of Best Leading Actress at the 1973 Indonesian Film Festival

22 August 1939 – 23 June 2022 

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Image credit: infoterkini24.com

Bob Tutupoly

Singer

13 November 1939 – 5 July 2022

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Image credit: Twitter/@area_jogja

Jemek Supardi

Mime artist

14 March 1953 – 16 July 2022

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Image credit: Twitter/@hasyimmah

Cak Sapari

Artist, pioneering traditional theater Ludruk

5 July 1948 – 15 September 2022

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Image credit: tatkala.co

Anak Agung Gde Raka Payadnya

Artist, founder of Balinese performance Drama Gong

14 August 1944 – 22 September 2022

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Image credit: Facebook/Boy Worang

Tan Deseng

Sundanese ethnomusicologist, master of Chinese traditional music

22 August 1942 – 6 November 2022

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Image credit: kompas.id/Lasti Kurnia

Edi Sedyawati

Archaeologist, Director-General of Culture of the Indonesian Department of Education and Culture (1993-1999), Governor for Indonesia of the Asia-Europe Foundation (1999-2001)

28 October 1938 – 12 November 2022

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Image credit: cobosocial.com/courtesy of the artist
Image credit: cobosocial.com/courtesy of the artist

Sri Astari Rasjid

Artist, Indonesian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Albania, and Macedonia (2016-2020)


26 March 1953 – 11 December 2022

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While we have done our best to be as comprehensive as possible, if there are artists or cultural workers we have missed in our list, please do add their names in the comments section, with links where possible, and we will update the article accordingly.
The layout for this series and the image treatment was designed by Jun Kit .

About the author(s)

Theodora Agni

Theodora Agni is an independent arts manager and primarily works as a residency manager. She is based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Her practice is inspired by the role of the dramaturg as an intermediary and multitasker. In 2020, she initiated 'Shifting Realities', a platform that aims to build a discursive space to develop critical perspectives and practices of arts management in Indonesia.
(Image credit: Yudha Kusuma Putera)

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