Even though most of us have visited the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout and tried to take a selfie with those two smiling, waving children standing high atop their platform at the center of the bunderan, few Jakartans know the story behind the Monumen Selamat Datang (Welcome Monument) and even fewer know the name of its sculptor, Edhie Soenarso.
A master sculptor from Yogyakarta, Edhie passed away yesterday at the age of 83. He not only created Jakarta’s iconic Selamat Datang Monument, he also crafted the famous Patung Pancoran (Pancoran Statue).
Edhie created the Selamat Datang Monument in honor of Jakarta hosting the 1962 Asian Games. It was meant to welcome arriving athletes who would be staying at Hotel Indonesia. The statues were placed facing northward because the international airport was at that time located in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. Since then, the monument and the roundabout surrounding it has become one of Jakarta’s most iconic locations.
Patung Pancoran, Edhie’s other iconic Jakarta sculpture, is actually named Patung Dirgantara (Aerospace Statue). Commissioned by President Soekarno in 1964, it depicts a man with his arm outstretched towards the future. The statue’s striking angular pose was meant to depict strength and leadership as Indonesia’s aerospace industry moved into the future.
Next time you pass by either of these two statues, take a moment to think about the man who made them and all the Jakarta history that has passed before their eyes.
