Potret Pak Soma (Mr. Soma's Portrait), 1960

Cement
h. 60 cm
Collection of Galeri Nasional Indonesia
 
Pak Soma (Mr Soma), who is replicated in this sculpture, is a gardener from ASRI Yogyaarta, where Budiana both studied and taught. This choice is unique in Budiani’s artistic context. Works by the Pelukis Rakyat (Peoples’ Painters), the collective he is a part of, have a tendency to depict the life of the un-known figures of society. Budiana, however, realises the potential of sculpture to document the facial expressions and show his empathy with the people whom he is familiar with.

A bust is usually used to present the ideal image of an important figure. Through this work, Budiani positions Pak Soma as a figure of dignity and simplicity. He emphasises the spirit of the people through his facial features, which aren’t limited to a single homogenous group.

 

About the Artist

Budiani is an artist who works with dolls. After he graduated from the sculpture faculty at ASRI in Yogyakarta in 1960, Sukarno sent him to study modern doll making at the Sakurakai Doll-Making School in Tokyo from 1962 to 1964. When he returned to Indonesia, he developed the production of modern dolls for wayang performances and mannequins for displays in ethnology museums. One of his works, a mannequin of a Javanese woman, was displayed in the Sarinah Department Store. As a scupltor, his works decorated the Istana Merdeka (Independence Palace) and the UGM Library. In 1972, he studied modern museum practices at the Smithsonian Institution Museum in the US. He applied these concepts to the Asmat Museum at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature).


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