An interview with Linda Hoemar Abidin
Cofounder, Yayasan KelolaChairperson of the Supervisory Board, Koalisi Seni
Interview & article by Kendisan
“The challenges women artists face are often domestic.”
- Linda Hoemar Abidin, Koalisi Seni Supervisory Board Chairperson
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| Linda Hoemar Abidin |
This experience as well as receiving Asian Cultural Council grants to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and later at Columbia University, and witnessing the 1990-1992 Festival of Indonesia in the United States gave her new ambitions beyond dancing: What if a foundation was created to ease access to funding for artists hoping to learn and produce? What if artists had assistance to help launch and sustain their careers? What if Indonesia had an endowment for the arts?
Less than a decade later, along with Amna Kusumo and several others, she cofounded Yayasan Kelola, a foundation focused on “encouraging a strong and sustainable art ecosystem in Indonesia.” Linda also chairs the supervisory board of Koalisi Seni, an art organization that advocates for better art policies in Indonesia.
Koalisi Seni’s boasts a membership of 107 institutions, 24 provinces, and 233 individuals, including artists from various fields, law experts, and even an astrophysicist. Among others, Koalisi Seni has partnered with UNESCO to create a database for violations of artistic freedom in the country. Perhaps not too surprisingly, women make up a significant portion of the victims in cases reported to the database via kebebasanberkesenian.id.
Our two-hour interview with Linda Hoemar Abidin, held in commemoration of Kartini Day, invites reflection on women’s access to opportunities in the arts sector. What began as a conversation about her early childhood in Berlin and her dream to study dance in New York City gradually evolved into a passionate discussion about art advocacy and the challenges women in the arts still face today.
Tell us a little bit about your ballet journey.
I started taking ballet lessons when I was three years old, after my family moved to Berlin for my father’s work as an architect. I must have been around four or five when my parents put me in a taxi by myself to go to ballet class (laughs). I loved ballet because of the music. There was always live piano accompaniment. It hits differently, doesn’t it, when you have live accompaniment?When I was six, we returned to Jakarta and there were only two places I could continue my ballet lessons. I ended up studying at Farida Oetoyo’s dance school.
I was in middle school when I learned about a summer dance academy in Cologne (Köln), Germany. We filled out the forms, and we went. Ibu Farida also went. There were young ballerinas from the Paris Opera Ballet at the academy, and there we were with our wide hips. It was intimidating.
The instructors were amazing. Some were from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York. They reminded me of the dancers in the 1980s TV series, Fame. There were about five or six instructors from Alvin Ailey. I talked to them in my broken English. So, my dream to go to New York began when I was in ninth grade, because of Fame and the dance instructors from New York.
You ended up studying ballet in New York after high school. How supportive were your parents?
Sure, they said, as long as you get a scholarship. I wrote a letter to the Asian Cultural Council in New York the summer before my senior year in high school.The interviewer came all the way from the United States. I was interviewed at Sate Senayan in Pakubuwono. He said, “[You want to enroll] in a certification program, not an undergraduate program. We usually give out scholarships for postgraduate programs. I’ll have to discuss this with the board in New York first.”
When I was in Cologne, my mother called me from Jakarta. “Linda, there’s a telegram from New York,” she said. All the telegram said was: Congratulations. You’ve been selected. We will interview you.
They ended up giving me an exception and I received a grant for a two-year certificate program at the Ailey School.
My parents were supportive. It was other Indonesians in New York who were incredulous. When I told other Indonesian students I was studying dancing, they said, “How come your parents let you only study dancing?”
How did you come to dance with the Elisa Monte Dance Company?
After I graduated, I immediately received an offer from Elisa Monte Dance Company in New York. On my first day, I was given a schedule for the next two years by the manager. I was surprised. As it turned out, the manager had studied Arts Management at New York University.I was with Elisa Monte for four years. I already had a plan to retire early and study arts management. I retired from dancing in 1992, and the Asian Cultural Council gave me a partial grant to pursue my undergraduate studies in general studies at Columbia University and dance at Barnard College. It was a program for people who already had professional experience. Then I pursued a master’s degree in Arts Administration at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
How did your experience in New York City influence what you do now?
As an American Cultural Council grantee, I received an allowance to watch any performance I wanted. Their goal was to give grantees exposure, allowing them to immerse themselves in the art world, so performances and museum visits were also covered.I loved the New York Library of Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center. It was my first time looking at microfiche images of people from the Surakarta keraton (palace) and Bali when they participated in an expo in the early 1900s. I could see so many performances, see their costumes. If I wanted to listen to their authentic music, including Balinese gamelan, they also had the recordings.
It was during this time that I had the dream to create something like the Asian Cultural Council in Indonesia. In 1999 I was invited by Amna Kusumo and several others to establish Yayasan Kelola.
Amna and her partner in the United States already had the experience of curating Indonesia’s best performances and bringing them to the U.S. for the 1992 Festival of Indonesia. I saw people from Papua perform at NYC’s top venue. The festival was extremely well-managed.
Why was there a need for Yayasan Kelola?
Just as I dreamed, it would be a foundation created to provide access to funding for artists and art practitioners, both to produce and to learn. Ford Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council were among our early donors.Here, it used to be difficult for artists to receive funding unless they knew people in the ministry. We created open calls, people had to create proposals, and shortlists were selected by a panel of peers. The jury are dancers, theater artists, and cultural art practitioners. We would then have a meeting, check the budget. When we started, we only gave out Rp25 million.
Yayasan Kelola helps artists with better planning, self-management, and creating solid reports, so that they are better prepared.
How did Yayasan Kelola come to have the Empowering Women Artists fund?
After nearly 10 years, we had a close look at our Hibah Seni (art fund) and found that most who applied were men. Where did the women go? There had to be special support, and not a one-time support, for women, as well as assistance.The challenges women artists face are often domestic. For example, even if their husbands are supportive, their in-laws may not be.
Then there was the woman artist from Makassar, who created a theater performance. During rehearsal and performance, she was terrorized by the men for going outside the norm.
There is indeed a problem there. For example, if there are women and men in a group, the men would chat while the women are told to make them coffee. If there are women in lead positions, the men are uncomfortable.
Many women artists quit, a significant amount because of these challenges--adverse environment, domestic demands, and “threats” from others.
The culture is more supportive of men. For example, if a dancer comes home late every day because of practice, what will the neighbors say?
What sparked the idea for creating Koalisi Seni?
In 2008, my friends and I started having more serious discussions. These included friends who were unknown in Indonesia but often performed at international festivals. For example, there is the Nan Jombang Dance Company based in Padang. They have performed at festivals in Japan, France, Germany. They only perform once or twice a year but they are able to get by in Padang.We said, how long will we have to rely on international events? Let’s create an organization to facilitate discussions with the government.
Koalisi Seni was established in 2012 with 41 founders. Indonesia had to have something like the National Endowment for the Arts, or at least regulations to help artists produce. Koalisi Seni also has to represent the provinces.
What was Koalisi Seni’s part in the creation of the 2007 cultural advancement law?
The draft bill had been around for thirty years, but the draft left much room for improvement. The bill was called the “cultural preservation” bill, but culture is not stagnant, hence “advancement.”There was an opportunity there to include a clause on the state’s obligation to support the arts, including through Dana Abadi Kebudayaan (cultural endowment fund). Koalisi Seni’s work also includes tax deductions for people who contribute to art and culture. Public support needs to be facilitated, to appeal to more people.
Can you explain Koalisi Seni’s partnership with UNESCO to promote the freedom of artistic expression?
The partnership has to do with the 2005 UNESCO Convention and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, including the right of every person to participate in the arts.The cultural advancement law is actually aligned with artistic freedom. It’s meant to facilitate the advancement of Indonesian culture as opposed to restricting it. The law’s essence is that culture is an investment.
How can artists support Koalisi Seni’s advocacy?
Among others, there are documents called “Pokok-Pokok Pikiran Kebudayaan Daerah.” Every regional government needs to involve all stakeholders in identifying their respective regions’ intellectual assets.How are these assets unique? Collect the data. And how do you advance the region and how does one get there? Input from regional governments should be synergized with the central government.
Unfortunately, the current administration is not continuing the effort, despite the great value of these documents, which can function as fundamental insights for regional development.
Artists should be able to talk to those in regional governments who are willing to listen. Art practitioners must also communicate with development economists who can calculate the economic as well as social impacts of investments in the cultural sector.
What is Koalisi Seni’s expected impact for women in the arts?
A better, healthier art ecosystem, meaning greater access to produce art, to participate in various art activities. Art that is accessible for everyone instead of just a handful. The potential is there, but whether the potential is honed is a question of equal access.What is your message for young women artists?
Try. If you don’t succeed, try and try again. That is the biggest gift you can give yourself: try.---
Websites:
Yayasan Kelola: https://kelola.or.id/
Koalisi Seni: https://koalisiseni.or.id/
Koalisi Seni’s publications for further reading:
On freedom of artistic expression:
MBG – Mencoba Bertahan dalam Gelap: Laporan Kebebasan Berkesenian 2025
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19jHMCtuE2paWqZbtEP_N66Wm_bD1zQK1/view
On how artists can successfully intervene in art policies:
PDKT sama PPKD: Kiat Sukses Seniman Intervensi Kebijakan Seni
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A1MxAQOqKUnmluVXt-tfQ4eZHBxSVv5X/view
Reporting violations against freedom of artistic expression:
https://kebebasanberkesenian.uwazi.io/in/