Semsar, the rebellious artist<\/p>\n
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Semsar Siahaan was a powerful artist who revealed the
\ncomplexities and injustices of society with a clear eye.<\/p>\n
Born on June 11, 1952 in the North Sumatra capital of Medan,
\nSemsar died on Wednesday at Tabanan Hospital in Bali after
\nsuffering a heart attack.<\/p>\n
His passing will be mourned by Jakarta's art community but
\nalso by other pockets of society and individuals who knew him as
\na passionate activist.<\/p>\n
Following his involvement in a street rally during the New
\nOrder regime against the ban on free press, Semsar, who was the
\nson of an Army major general, fell from the government's favor.<\/p>\n
During the rally near Gambir railway station he was shot and
\nbeaten by military officers. The incident later became known as
\nthe Gambir incident.<\/p>\n
That year, 1994, Soeharto's administration banned two
\nmagazines, Tempo and Editor, and Detik tabloid, for running
\npieces unfavorable to the regime.<\/p>\n
Constant pressure from the Soeharto regime caused Semsar to
\nleave for Canada in 1997, where he continued to work as an artist
\nfor the duration of his five-year stay.<\/p>\n
Semsar returned home in 2003 and staged a solo exhibition of
\nhis mostly black-and-white works at the National Gallery last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Unlocking the impenetrable through his work, Semsar found
\nresolutions and unexpected hope in a world of rights abuses and
\ninjustice.<\/p>\n
\"I adhere firmly to the belief that man is the creation of God
\nand that art is the creation of man. And within conditions in
\nwhich humanity is threatened, the artists must step forward to
\nconvey the values and principles of humanity and
\nhumanitarianism,\" he once said.<\/p>\n
Semsar's awesome mural showing soldiers' boots crushing the
\nmarginalized hangs in the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Semsar, who was once married to an Acehnese woman named
\nIsnaini had a son, Christo, who died shortly after delivery.<\/p>\n
He first studied art in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, when his father
\nMaj. Gen. Ricardo Siahaan became a defense attache at the
\nIndonesian Embassy between 1965 and 1968.<\/p>\n
After finishing high school in Jakarta in 1975, Semsar
\ncontinued his studies in painting at the San Francisco Art
\nInstitute in the United States.<\/p>\n
He returned to Indonesia and studied sculpture at the Bandung
\nInstitute of Technology's Visual Art School between 1977 and
\n1981.<\/p>\n
The rebellious Semsar was suspended and then expelled from the
\ninstitute for burning a lecturer's artwork that offended his
\nesthetic values.<\/p>\n
Coming from a middle-class family but choosing to live in a
\nmodest way, Semsar was often invited to seminars here and abroad
\nto talk about art and social issues.<\/p>\n
\"Local human rights activists are now disoriented. They fight
\neach other,\" said disappointed Semsar, who once, having fallen
\nbehind with his rent, was almost evicted from a house in Cinere,
\nSouth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He said today's activists lack solidarity and have been co-
\nopted by political and commercial interests.<\/p>\n
While some found Semsar difficult to approach, friends and
\ncolleagues are quick to speak of his generosity, loyalty and
\npersistence.<\/p>\n
Semsar leaves behind him a precious legacy of works and the
\nunfulfilled dream of seeing justice upheld in his beloved
\ncountry.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/semsar-the-rebellious-artist-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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