GM Sudarta

Born to a poor family in the small town of Klaten, Central Java, Gerardus Mayela Sudarta was greatly concerned by the injustice he sees in the country. This includes the 1970’s unsolved rape case of egg vendor Sum Kuning in Yogyakarta, which allegedly involved the son of a government official, while the press could not reveal the truth.

It is clear that Sudarta, who is also a painter, does not draw his cartoons just for fun. Many of his works reflect bitterness, sadness and anger, such as the one about the 1998 May riots or the piece about the bombing in front of the Australian Embassy in 2004, which happened after a blast at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the Bali bombings.

Sudarta was indeed a keen observer of current issues in the country and around the world. His cartoons are informative, loaded with sharp and witty criticism, and also entertaining. No wonder he has received many awards, including several Adinegoro Journalistic Awards (in the 1980s), the Best Cartoon of Nippon (2000) and Gold Prize Tokyo No Kai (2004).