Melati Suryodarmo: From Indonesia to the World

The “Indonesia Bertutur’’ or Indonesia Tells Stories that took place at the Borobudur Temple compounds attracted public attention across generations from Baby Boomers to Gen Z. Melati Suryodarmo is one of the brains behind the event. In the world of performing arts, who doesn’t know Melati? She has been a performing artist since childhood. She inherited this talent from her mother, a dancer, and her father, Suprapto Suryodarmo, the founder of the Padepokan Lemah Putih Village cultural park in Plesungan Village, Gondangrejo, Karanganyar, Central Java. Her father is also known as the initiator of Joget Amerta or the Amerta Dance Moves. Therefore, talking with Melati is like opening another space for understanding the meaning of art and working for art.

Ms. Melati, can you tell us about your art background and what you are busy with these days?

I was born in the city of Solo on July 12, 1969. Right now, I am preparing three new performance pieces. I am presenting the first piece at the Kochi Muziris Biennale in December in Kochi, Kerala, India. The other two are performance lectures, a presentation of ideas combined with performative acts to review my old works whose methods of creation were poetic acts. I will present both in Singapore in January 2023.

Besides that, I also teach at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore.

Can you tell us about your role in the Indonesia Bertutur?

The Director of Film, Music, and Media (PMM) and the Director General of Culture assigned me as the Artistic Director of the 2022 Indonesia Bertutur. I designed the overall context and themes according to the Director General of Culture and the Directorate of PMM missions. The goal is to revive awareness of cultural heritage and connect it to our lives today in the digital age. But, of course, I was not alone since the beginning of the process. Indonesia Bertutur is a long process that involves many actors in management, venues, and close cooperation with the PMM team.

What is the rationale behind the theme of Indonesia Bertutur?

The theme of Indonesia Bertutur is “Learn from the Past, Grow for the Future.” This theme stems from the spirit to explore Indonesian history and past knowledge and to develop this knowledge into knowledge that inspires, strengthens, and improves life today through culture and technology.

Is it challenging working with many artists who have different ideas and characters?

Oh, certainly! I am an artist who is still actively working and carrying out other activities outside of work. At Intur, I have to provide artistic direction, curate programs, and select artists involved in a big event like this. It is, of course, very challenging because here I am not as an artist who is presenting her art but as a designer of artistic thoughts and choices of the whole event. The main challenge is not to take sides based on personal subjectivity in terms of aesthetic tastes and types of art.

How has your artistic journey been so far? Are there any unforgettable experiences? Tell us about the twists and turns.

Because an art performer is an artist and not an “actor,” the principle is to work from scratch, and the work determines whether or not you are an artist. Art observers determine whether the artist’s work has benefits beyond just aesthetic or nominal values. Likewise, I started from the bottom, from zero. Many artistic productions and performing arts rely on capital first, then work later; I am the opposite as I work first, then think about money later.

Is “performance art” a “passion” since childhood, or is there someone who inspires you?

I grew up in a family of dance and music artists in Solo. My father is an artist, dance, and ritual arts teacher, and my mother used to be a great Javanese dancer. I saw performance art for the first time in 1989 when I was in Bandung watching a recording of Joseph Beuys’ film “I Like America and America Likes Me” (1974). When I was invited by Marintan Sirait, my best friend in Bandung, to join Perengkel Jahe, an action art exploration group, I started studying some alternative, unconventional forms. Dance that is not an ordinary dance, music but not a song, a theater without acting, etcetera. For me, performance art is my passion. When I studied in Germany, I studied practice and theory and the history of aesthetics related to this practice.

From your point of view, how is the world of performing arts in Indonesia right now? Is it ideal?

It depends on the perspective from which we observe it. The world of performing arts is of many kinds and has different domains. Some come from traditional arts in areas that still live close to their distinctive locales. Their production methods and the direction of their artistic work also vary. The industrial management system manages many performing arts engaged in the entertainment sector. Ideally, we return to the essence of art, the value behind it all: does it inspire fans to understand this life and its many layers of meaning? Art appreciation should continue to grow and be strengthened in various regions of Indonesia and not only centralized in the capital.

Can Indonesian performing arts compete with neighboring countries?

If you look at the source of inspiration, I don’t think Indonesia will ever lose in the international arena. The way I see it, the main thing is how works of art can touch human understanding through the discussion of feelings and logic, which are naturally universal. It means that if the theme of work affects emotions and the global community’s perception of the idea, I think it will undoubtedly penetrate regional and international boundaries. It may seem that we cannot separate art from the language of taste and knowledge of humanity. If we look at works of art created hundreds of years ago, they can still affect today’s modern society, partly because the meaning of these works still touches on the theme of human life in today’s world.

What potential should or can still be explored further regarding Indonesian culture? Is there a need for interdisciplinary collaboration in art?

Taking into account the wealth of potential sources of creative thought and inspiration in our homeland, it seems that culture will never die. Culture is always closely related to how our society grows with it. Collaboration that transfers the vehicle is interesting, too, especially when using artistic creativity to translate knowledge. Artistic creativity is innovative, inspires many people to gain spiritual experience of art, and broadens people’s knowledge, reflecting on the ritual forms of our tradition, which are full of symbols and thoughts and are very concerned about the relationship between humans, nature, and God.

Nowadays, what do we have to do to produce ideal artists?

Artists must be aware of which path they take. They must also understand production systems and networks and become their PR and self-manage. Artists must understand what their agency is through art. They need to be aware of time and energy. I think there will be tests on independent character, work sustainability, and the desire to continue to explore or experiment. Professionalism is not easy to develop; it takes a gradual learning process. In artistic work, artists must be fully responsible for their work, both from the perspective and creative points of view. Therefore, we cannot produce artists because they must, for themselves alone, decide whether they want to be good artists or not.

(Prima Ardiani, Senior Cultural Administrator, Directorate of Cultural Development and Utilization, MoECRT).

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