Farewell, Hilda: pioneer of modern art dies

Farewell, Hilda: pioneer of modern art dies

Carla Bianpoen
Contributor
Jakarta

On Friday, January 17, at 9.20 p.m. Jakarta time, Hildawati
Soemantri passed away at Darmais Hospital from cancer. Her
brother was at her side along with other family members, as well
as sculptor Lydia Poetri, who has tended to her throughout her
illness.

Although she had been suffering on and off from the disease
for over a decade, and had shown rapid deterioration in the past
year, the news still came as a shock to many of even her closest
friends; particularly as she had recently come out of a coma into
which she had lapsed a week ago, and had begun to communicate in
the past few days.

A founder of the Ceramics Studio at the Jakarta Arts Institute
(IKJ), she was laid in state at Galeri Cipta (II), and was
welcomed by vice rector Wagiono Sunarto and dean of the Faculty
of Arts Tris Neddy, who both spoke of Hildawati's dedication,
personal integrity and commitment to the development and
education of art.

Aside from numerous artists of various disciplines, friends
and admirers, among those paying their last respects were
prominent cultural scholar and member of Akademi Jakarta Prof.
Toeti Heraty, Pia Alisjahbana, ex-IKJ Rector Adhi Moersid, Prof.
Dr. Fuad Hassan, literatus Danarto, Dr. Melani Budianta, and
Yayasan Senirupa Indonesia chairperson Susrinah Sastrowardoyo.

A special message from Dr. Astri Wright from the University of
Victoria also expressed the sentiments of friends in Indonesia,
thanking Hilda for her "courage in persevering and pioneering,
combining the roles of artist, teacher and scholar."

Hilda died exactly one month after the opening of her
retrospective exhibition at Cemara-6 Gallery, held at the
initiative and with the support of friends, ex-students and
admirers. Although almost completely incapacitated physically,
Hilda cheered up during the preparation of the exhibit, in which
she was fully involved in the selection of material.

She rejoiced at the event and was able to communicate with
many friends she had not seen for years, and with State Minister
of Tourism and Culture I Gede Ardika, who had made a special
effort to meet the artist.

Having dedicated most of her life to the advancement of
Indonesian modern art, she was a pioneer, a dedicated educator,
and a fine scholar of ancient Javanese art. Although often torn
between her artistic urges and her intellectual inclinations as a
scholar, between her talent in modern art and her fascination
with ancient Javanese art, she gave herself fully in whatever
field she chose to undertake.

Hilda made a historical milestone in Indonesian art with her
introduction to installation art in 1976. She then went on,
breaking through the conventional understanding of ceramics in
Indonesia and elevating it to the level of a contemporary visual
arts language.

Her groundbreaking oeuvre testifies to a refined skill and to
artistic creations steeped in deep human emotion, which gradually
leads to a profound sense of the spiritual and transcendental.

Her latest works center around Cosmic Mountain, a paradigm for
her spiritual search on her path to the center of life, and
towards death.

Hilda was the first female Indonesian art historian educated
abroad, and the first scholar of ancient Javanese art who filled
the gap left by previous scholars, highlighting the role of
figurines in the Majapahit Kingdom.

Her dissertation to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Art History from
Cornell University (1993) was later published by the Indonesian
Ceramic Society. International art historians have called her a
very reliable resource for other scholars wishing to explore
ancient Javanese art in the light of new perspectives, including
the gender viewpoint.

Hilda was also the first, and so far the only, Indonesian
independent female curator. Internationally renowned Indonesian
curator and art critic Jim Supangkat, who cooperated with her on
the prestigious GNB exhibition in Jakarta, spoke highly of her
solid views and excellent eye for detail.

A person with strong principles, she was firm, but disliked
open conflicts. "We never really clashed, although we were often
not of the same opinion," reveals Ari Sugiarto, a close friend
from the time they were both in Leiden, conducting research.

"Somehow, she always got what she wanted," said Ari.

Her brother Djoko Sanyoto, affectionately called Mas Jon, once
remarked that she had always been very independent. Perhaps
because she lost her mother at an early age, he explained.

Hilda never spoke too much and refrained from fashionable
trends; she was an artist who, in her own quiet way, continuously
kindled the fire in the hearts and kilns of her students.

Ceramic sculptor F. Widayanto, who had admired her from back
when he was just her little brother's friend, assured her that
her spirit had been contagious and would keep his inner kiln
going, even if modern ceramics still had a long way to go in this
country.

Lydia Poetri credits her own fascination with ceramics to
Hilda, once her teacher, who then became a colleague and a dear
friend. Other former students who were inspired by Hilda's
passion for ceramics include Jane Chen and Suyatna.

Hildawati Soemantri was born in Jakarta in 1945, and spent her
early youth in the Netherlands where her father studied as an
accountant, but pursued her secondary and tertiary education in
Indonesia. Her fascination with ancient Javanese art almost made
her choose archaeology as her major, but she decided to become a
ceramist instead and entered the Department of Fine Arts at the
Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), from where she graduated
in 1969. She married a young architect and followed him to
Jakarta, although the marriage ultimately ended in divorce.

In Jakarta, she dedicated most of her time to the field of
education at IKJ, where she founded the Ceramic Studio. She
acquired a Master's Degree in Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute on
Long Island, and a Ph.D. from the Art History Department at
Cornell University. She was a lecturer at the Dept. of Art
History at the University of Victoria in Canada, where she was
also a resident artist.

Although Hilda made major contributions to the written
chronicles of Indonesian modern art in her role as an art
historian, she was too modest to even admit to the part she has
played in art development. It seems Indonesian art history may be
due a rewrite, according Hildawati Soemantri the place she
deserves.