Amri Yahya (1939 – 2004)

Amri Yahya lahir di desa Sukaraja di Pangkalan Lampam, Ogan Komering Ilir, Sumatra Selatan, pada 29 September 1939. Pada tahun 1959, ia memutuskan pindah ke Yogyakarta untuk mendalami seni rupa secara formal. Ia menempuh pendidikan di Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia (ASRI) dan meraih gelar Sarjana muda pada tahun 1961, serta Sarjana penuh pada 1963.

 

Setelah lulus dari ASRI, ia menempuh studi di Fakultas Keguruan Sastra dan Seni (FKSS) IKIP Yogyakarta (sekarang Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta) dan lulus pada tahun 1971. Untuk mempertajam teknik teknisnya, ia sempat mengambil program spesialisasi seni keramik dinding dari Struktur 68 BV (Bureau voor Vormgeving) di Den Haag, Belanda (1979–1980). Pada 10 Mei 2001, Amri menerima gelar Honoris Causa dari Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta atas kontribusinya dalam bidang evaluasi pendidikan seni, sebelum pengangkatannya sebagai Guru besar pada 2002.

 

Amri memulai rangkaian pameran internasional pada tahun 1950-an, yang diawali dengan kunjungan ke San Francisco atas ajakan dosennya. Sejak saat itu, ia melakukan pameran mandiri maupun kelompok di berbagai kota di lima benua dan tercatat sebagai pelukis Indonesia pertama yang mengadakan pameran keliling di wilayah Timur Tengah. Di bidang akademik, ia pernah mengabdi sebagai pengajar tetap di Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (sejak 1967), Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta (1973-1980), Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga (1978-1980), Akademi Kesejahteraan Keluarga Yogyakarta (1975-1980), dan Universitas Islam Indonesia (sejak 1981). Amri juga pernah menjadi dosen tamu di Universitas Negeri Oklahoma, AS pada 1974 dan menjadi profesor tamu di Universitas Negeri Iowa, AS pada 1986.

 

Amri berperan dalam beberapa organisasi seni. Ia pernah menjabat sebagai Ketua Himpunan Senirupawan Indonesia (HSRI) Yogyakarta dan Ketua Badan Koordinasi Kesenian Nasional Indonesia (BKKNI) wilayah DIY. Sejak tahun 1977, ia juga tercatat sebagai anggota kehormatan International Association of Art (IAA) UNESCO di Paris, Prancis. Pada tahun 1996, ia mewakili Indonesia dalam Konferensi Seni Budaya Islam sedunia di Hofstra University, New York. Sebagai tokoh berpengaruh di ASRI (sekarang Institut Seni Indonesia – ISI), namanya diabadikan sebagai nama jalan di Gampingan, lokasi awal ASRI, Yogyakarta.

Amri Yahya was born in Sukaraja Village, South Sumatra, on September 29, 1939. In 1959, he decided to move to Yogyakarta to pursue formal studies in fine arts. He studied at the Indonesian Academy of Fine Arts (ASRI) and earned an Associate Degree in 1961, followed by a Bachelor's Degree in 1963.

 

After graduating from ASRI, he continued his studies at the Faculty of Education, Literature, and Arts (FKSS) at IKIP Yogyakarta (now Yogyakarta State University) and graduated in 1971. To refine his technical skills, he took a specialization program in wall ceramic art from Structure 68 BV (Bureau voor Vormgeving) in The Hague, Netherlands (1979–1980). On May 10, 2001, Amri received an Honorary Degree from Yogyakarta State University for his contributions to art education evaluation, before being appointed as a full professor in 2002.

 

Amri began participating in international exhibitions in the 1950s, starting with a visit to San Francisco at the invitation of his professor. Since then, he has held solo and group exhibitions in various cities across five continents and is recorded as the first Indonesian painter to organize touring exhibitions in the Middle East. Academically, he served as a permanent lecturer at Yogyakarta State University (since 1967), the Indonesian Institute of Arts Yogyakarta (1973–1980), Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (1978–1980), Yogyakarta Welfare Academy of Family (1975–1980), and Indonesian Islamic University (since 1981). He also served as a guest lecturer at Oklahoma State University, USA in 1974 and as a visiting professor at Iowa State University, USA in 1986.

 

Amri has been involved in several art organizations. He served as Chairman of the Indonesian Fine Arts Association (HSRI) Yogyakarta and Chairman of the Indonesian National Arts Coordination Agency (BKKNI) for the DIY region. Since 1977, he has also been an Honorary Member of the International Association of Art (IAA) UNESCO in Paris, France. In 1996, he represented Indonesia at the World Conference on Islamic Cultural Arts held at Hofstra University, New York. As an influential figure of ASRI (now Indonesian Institute of Arts – ISI), his name is immortalized as the street at Gampingan, the original location of ASRI, Yogyakarta.

Source: IVAA Online Archive.