Unsung Museum highlights Indonesia’s democracy challenges

This article from the Jakarta Post reports on a traveling museum that hosts censored or destroyed art in miniature form. Their exhibitions encompass an eclectic range of issues facing contemporary Indonesia, from ethnic divisions to democratic challenges. I found their style of miniaturizing the art to be incredibly fascinating. One of the curators, Grace Samboh, says, "to see why an artwork is deemed controversial, we need to see it from a different perspective," suggesting that this new form diversifies the dialogue that the originals intended to stimulate. Perhaps the miniaturization also reminds us of the castigation the art went through. The works could symbolize how the government has historically and in modern times stifled Indonesia's creative forces. Thus, the miniature pieces show us how, until this Unsung Museum, the art truly has been unsung.

Also interesting are the descriptions of how art has been censored even in modern times. Even after Suharto's fall it is clear that divisions run deep in Indonesian society, along numerous lines. One case it mentions is that of Nyoman Nuarta, whose works were removed due to Islamic organizations' protests that it had Christian iconography and now stand in miniature form at the Unsung Museum. In 2016, a painting at the airport was "taken down in order to avoid a social media polemic" since it featured the former chairman of the Indonesian Communist Party.

This second case in particular highlights an important aspect of the government's stance towards art. The desire to avoid a public debate illustrates the Indonesian government's emphasis on unity. One might point to this as a legacy of Suharto's authoritarianism, but the problem of unity has pervaded Indonesian national thought even before Suharto came to power. Indeed, nation-building has always been a problem in a place as pluralistic as Indonesia, with its ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity - this justification for taking the painting down betrays art's subordinate role to the goal of unity. Another cool article to look at on this topic is: https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-suharto-era-propaganda-film/4046152...., where the chief of the military along with Jokowi himself advocate for the playing of a very controversial propaganda video originally sponsored by Suharto.

Further explorations are merited on how Indonesians view art. Curiously, the curators of the Unsung Museum posit that "quite often the misunderstandings come not only from those who dismiss the artworks but also from the arts community itself." This points to a rift in arts discourse, which would be nice to look into.