PERAN SIMPASSRI DALAM PERKEMBANGAN SENI RUPA MEDAN 1970-1990: STUDI ARSIP DAN DOKUMENTASI

Abstrak

Historiografi seni rupa modern Indonesia sering kali mengabaikan dinamika yang terjadi di luar Pulau Jawa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji sejarah dan peran kelembagaan Simpaian Seniman Seni-Rupa Indonesia (SIMPASSRI) dalam ekosistem seni rupa Medan periode 1970-1990. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode historis yang meliputi tahapan heuristik, kritik sumber, interpretasi, dan historiografi, dengan bertumpu pada sumber primer berupa arsip resmi kelembagaan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa SIMPASSRI, yang lahir atas inisiasi dan patronase institusi militer pasca-gejolak politik 1965, berhasil bertransformasi menjadi agen kultural yang mandiri. Organisasi ini berkontribusi signifikan melalui pembangunan infrastruktur fisik berupa Art Gallery yang didanai secara swadaya oleh anggota dan bantuan pemerintah. Selain itu, SIMPASSRI aktif menyelenggarakan pameran berskala lokal hingga internasional (diplomasi budaya anak-anak dengan Jepang) , memfasilitasi pameran seniman senior nasional sebagai tolok ukur estetika , serta menjalankan fungsi regenerasi melalui program pendidikan seni gratis. Namun, memasuki era 1980-an, organisasi mulai mengalami stagnasi akibat kendala finansial dan hambatan administratif ("kesulitan teknis") yang memaksa dihentikannya program pembinaan regenerasi tersebut. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa SIMPASSRI merupakan pilar penting yang pernah menjembatani seniman Medan dengan konstelasi seni rupa nasional, meskipun kiprahnya meredup akibat krisis pendanaan kelembagaan.

The historiography of modern Indonesian fine arts has often overlooked the artistic dynamics occurring outside the island of Java. This study aims to examine the history and institutional role of the Simpaian Seniman Seni-Rupa Indonesia (SIMPASSRI) within the fine arts ecosystem of Medan during the period 1970–1990. This research employs a qualitative approach using the historical method, which includes the stages of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, relying primarily on institutional archival documents as primary sources. The findings reveal that SIMPASSRI, which emerged through the initiative and patronage of military institutions following the political upheaval of 1965, successfully transformed into an independent cultural agent. The organization made significant contributions through the development of physical infrastructure in the form of an Art Gallery, funded through members’ self-support and government assistance. In addition, SIMPASSRI actively organized exhibitions ranging from local to international levels, including children’s cultural diplomacy exhibitions with Japan, facilitated exhibitions of prominent national artists as aesthetic benchmarks, and carried out a regenerative function through free art education programs. However, entering the 1980s, the organization began to experience stagnation due to financial constraints and administrative obstacles (“technical difficulties”), which ultimately led to the discontinuation of its regeneration programs. It can therefore be concluded that SIMPASSRI once served as a crucial pillar in connecting Medan artists with the national fine arts constellation, although its role gradually declined due to an institutional funding crisis.