Free-spirited, passionate artist celebrates nature

Free-spirited, passionate artist celebrates nature

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Lisaki Sotilis keeps returning to Indonesia
because it is the last paradise on earth, she says. And Sotilis
should know what she is talking about as she seems to be the
quintessential Eve: curious, restless and extremely creative.

Standing before her is like coming face-to-face with the woman
God had willed all women to be: free spirited, passionate,
intelligent and caring.

If she had her way, the Greek artiste would love to lose
herself in the immense greenery of this country, covered with
little else except a mane of golden hair cascading down her back,
jewelry made from forest flora and fauna and just fruits and
roots as her daily diet. Forever fond of animals of all kinds,
she may not even miss some of her fellow human beings from this
glass and steel jungle.

"Lisa is capable of anything," warns Maria Kolonia of JakArt
recalling the time when Sotilis, who is full of surprises,
decided to participate in a ceremony at the White House in
Washington wearing only a skirt and a top made just from her
latest jewelry creations.

"There are very few places like this country left in the
world," said Sotilis, who has been trotting around the globe for
at least five decades. A guest of the month-long JakArt 2001
Festival, she is back in Indonesia with Transformations, a
retrospective of her art works that can be seen at the National
Museum.

The bohemian Sotilis was a close friend of Rudolf Nureyev and
assistant to Giorgio de Chirico, father of Expressionism, at the
age of 17. Sotilis has endless stories to tell about Salvador
Dali and Andy Warhol, all leaders in their own right, of the
modern art movement that continues to haunt viewers for its
strong expression of revulsion against political and religious
fascism.

Dressed in a flowing gown made of pure cotton and gold-plated
necklaces and finger rings in the pattern of large leaves,
Sotilis traced her obsession with colors back to the day when she
was still a baby and fell to the ground from the arms of an
absent-minded adult.

"Ever since then I have been smitten with this disease called
extreme excitement and whenever I come across colors the
excitement becomes so acute that I have to call for a doctor,"
she impishly says, smiling.

When she is in Indonesia she goes straight to where textiles
are made and displayed and spends much of her time admiring the
intricate patterns and rich textures, the colors of which remind
her of her mother's wardrobe in Greece.

She has great admiration for the handicrafts of Indonesia and
hopes that machines will not be allowed to take over. "Don't
bother too much about the tempting dollars. Nourish your roots
and keep your arts and crafts alive," is one suggestion to all
Indonesians from Sotilis, who feels that in the last half of the
20th century, nature has been abused like never before in human
history. It is only in places like Indonesia where people
continue to enjoy an affinity to the environment they live in.

This precious relationship between human beings and nature has
to be protected, she pleas. If nature continues to be
disrespected like it has been in the past, she fears for human
survival. She does not advocate the return of human civilization
to a life in the jungle like our primitive ancestors but of
future co-habitation in sustainable settlements in harmony with
nature and with the assistance of science.

After having made so many grave mistakes, she is relieved that
humans have eventually woken up to the idea that they cannot go
on trampling on nature.

She is happy that the world is working toward becoming a
global village, giving people an opportunity to share things with
each other.

The thought that she can travel to any corner of the world
today to meet with anyone she wants to is a very exciting one to
Sotilis. On the other hand, she warns that the stronger and more
worldly-wise people should not be allowed to take advantage of
the more vulnerable, fragile people and societies.

She gets very excited talking about a world where different
colors, races, religions, rituals and cultures continue to live
together, adding to the spice of life. Variety is what makes life
so beautiful according to Sotilis, who comes across as one of
those charming utopians, in search of that formula that will turn
this earth into Eden despite resistance from all the hardships
this world presents.

The Sotilis exhibition, along with that of Giorgio de Chirico,
Rudolf Nureyev and Hendrawan's installation about the colorful
cultivation of rice remains open till June 30 at the National
Museum.

Further inquiries at 5265762 or 5221001.