Batak paints against all odds<\/p>\n
Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Many people were surprised when told that a Batak painter was
\nholding a two-week solo exhibition at Sari Pan Pacific Hotel in
\nJakarta, marking his 20th year as a painter.<\/p>\n
The Batak people are well known for their music and singing
\ntalents, probably thanks to their strong gospel tradition. Many
\nhave made their mark in the music and recording industry.<\/p>\n
\"A Batak painter is an oddity,\" the features editor of a
\nnational newspaper jokingly remarked upon hearing the name Sanga
\nPangihoetan Simanjuntak.<\/p>\n
Of course there have been a few Batak people who have made a
\nname for themselves in the fine arts, like visual artist Semsar
\nSiahaan, sculptor Dolorosa Sinaga and installation artist Marida
\nNasution. But they are very few.<\/p>\n
\"Even my parents still see the profession of my choice as a
\nstrange one although they saw my talent as a child,\" the
\nexpressionist told The Jakarta Post at his exhibition.<\/p>\n
His parents wanted him to become a government employee -- a
\ncommon job for Batak people. They only wanted him to paint as a
\nhobby and they did not want to hear people tell them that their
\nson could become a famous painter one day.<\/p>\n
Simanjuntak recalled how his sketches, many of them images of
\nJesus Christ and other prophets like Moses, were often displayed
\nfor the public by his teachers when he was still at primary
\nschool and senior high school.<\/p>\n
But this still failed to impress his parents.<\/p>\n
\"For them to become a civil servant was everything,\"
\nSimanjuntak said.<\/p>\n
To show their disapproval for his chosen profession, his
\nparents never asked him for any paintings. A few years ago he
\nsent them one of his works but he is not sure whether they
\nappreciated it.<\/p>\n
Simanjuntak is displaying 14 paintings in his exhibition
\nentitled The Hidden Legacy of Jakarta. His works, -- mostly of
\nmixed media, acrylic, or acrylic and mixed media or gauche on
\npaper -- include, Alun Alun Jakarta Tertua Yang Tersisa (The
\nRelics of Jakarta Square, Sebuah Sisi Kali Besar (One side of
\nKali Besar), Menara Pasar Ikan (Pasar Ikan Tower), Kapal Kapal
\nNelayan Sunda Kelapa (Fishing vessels in Sunda Kelapa Port),
\nJembatan Gantung Kali Besar (Kali Besar Suspension Bridge),
\nArkade Gedung Tua (Old building Arcade), Gereja Immanuel
\n(Immanuel Church) and Gereja Katedral (The Cathedral). It is his
\nsixth solo exhibition.<\/p>\n
The exhibition was opened by Germany's Ambassador to Indonesia
\nGerhard Fulda. It is not a coincidence, because some of
\nSimanjuntak's works were auctioned to help the needy members of
\nthe Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church in Jakarta,
\nwhich has strong relations with the Lutheran church in Germany.
\nIt was German missionary Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen who introduced
\nChristianity to the Batak people in 1864.<\/p>\n
Born in Tarutung, North Sumatra, on April 29, 1964,
\nSimanjuntak finished senior high school in his hometown in 1982.
\nThen he continued his studies in Jakarta along with his four
\nsiblings who were also studying here.<\/p>\n
His father Mardin Simanjuntak, a civil servant and mother
\nRiste Hutabarat, a coffee trader, wanted him to become a lawyer.
\nTheir reasoning was simple: the legal profession is very suitable
\nfor Batak people because they like to argue.<\/p>\n
So, to please his parents, Simanjuntak registered at the
\nFaculty of Law at the University of Indonesia, and without their
\nknowledge he also registered at the art department of IKIP
\nJakarta (now named Jakarta State University).<\/p>\n
\"My parents of course were disappointed, but they hoped I
\nwould become a teacher after finishing my studies,\" he said,
\nlaughing.<\/p>\n
He graduated in 1988. While studying he also worked as a
\ndesigner in a national textile company but quit in 1999.<\/p>\n
He married Linda Wahyu Winata in 1993. They have an
\neight-year-old daughter Lopian na Marsere, and are expecting
\ntheir second child in August. Linda works with a textile firm.<\/p>\n
In 1999 he resigned from his design job. Then, with the
\nsupport of his wife he decided to become a full-time painter. He
\nsaid he was grateful to U.S. businessman Garry L. Bohn because he
\ndecided to quit the company after Bohn bought nine of his
\npaintings.<\/p>\n
\"My mother was shocked on hearing my decision. She asked me
\nhow I would support my family if I was 'jobless',\" Simanjuntak
\nrecalled.<\/p>\n
Simanjuntak said that his fellow Batak consider his works,
\nwhich he sets at an average of Rp 5 million, too expensive.<\/p>\n
\"Some of them go as far as to demand to know how much I bought
\nthe paint for and want me to sell the painting for just a little
\nmore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The ongoing economic crisis however has also affected his
\nactivity, because many of the expatriates who were his biggest
\ncollectors have left the country. Now his collectors are mostly
\nfrom Jakarta. They visit his studio in Bekasi, West Java.<\/p>\n
\"Painting is not only a matter of money, although I also need
\nit,\" Simanjuntak said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batak-paints-against-all-odds-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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