Roeliati Soewarjono (1930 – 2023)

Siti Roelijati Soewarjono lahir di Jombang, Jawa Timur, tahun 1930. Pada tahun 1950 Roelijati tercatat sebagai salah satu mahasiswi angkatan pertama di kampus tersebut yang belajar di Akademi seni Rupa Indonesia (ASRI) Yogyakarta.

 

Pameran-pameran tunggalnya diadakan di Jakarta pada rentang tahun 1960-an sampai 1970-an, dan juga mengikuti pameran bersama di beberapa kota besar di Jakarta, sampai luar negeri. Roelijati termasuk seniman perempuan pada saat itu yang paling diakui dan aktif berpameran, meski saat itu seni rupa masih sangat didominasi seniman laki-laki. Berdasar saran sahabatnya mantan Menteri Sosial Maria Ulfah, Roelijati membuka kursus melukis untuk tetap aktif di dunia seni rupa.

 

Terinspirasi oleh Hendra Gunawan, dosennya di ASRI, di tahun 1980-an Roelijati sering membuat sket dari balik kaca taxi tentang buruh-buruh kasar yang sedang membangun saluran kabel telpon, jembatan Semanggi, hingga pembongkaran kawasan. Sketsa-sketsa ini banyak diterbitkan oleh berbagai majalah dan jurnal budaya masa itu.

 

Tahun 1994 Roelijati mendapat penghargaan Karya Terbaik Krida Wanodya dalam bidang seni rupa dari Menteri Peranan Wanita RI . Karyanya termasuk dalam Koleksi Sukarno, Dewan Kesenian Jakarta,  Adam Malik hingga Museum Seni Rupa DKI Jakarta.

Siti Roelijati Soewarjono was born in Jombang, East Java, in 1930. In 1950, Roelijati was recorded as one of the first-year students at the campus, studying at the Indonesian Fine Arts Academy (ASRI) in Yogyakarta. 

 

Her solo exhibitions were held in Jakarta from the 1960s to the 1970s, and she also participated in group exhibitions in several major cities in Jakarta, as well as internationally. Roelijati was among the most recognized and active female artists of that time, despite the fact that fine arts were still largely dominated by male artists. Based on the advice of her friend, former Minister of Social Affairs Maria Ulfah, Roelijati opened a painting course to stay active in the art world. 

 

Inspired by Hendra Gunawan, her lecturer at ASRI, in the 1980s Roelijati often made sketches from behind taxi windows of rough workers building telephone cable channels, the Semanggi bridge, and even demolition areas. These sketches were widely published by various magazines and cultural journals of that era. 

 

In 1994, Roelijati received the Best Work Award from the Women's Role Minister of Indonesia in the field of fine arts. Her works are included in collections such as Sukarno's, the Jakarta Arts Council, Adam Malik, and the Museum of Fine Arts DKI Jakarta.

Source: IVAA Online Archive, Catalog of MILESTONES: Biennale Jakarta 2006, Dewan Kesenian Jakarta, 2006