Long Shadow #3

Jompet Kuswidananto explores history as a record of discourses and flawed actions for future generations to engage with and learn from. For the artist, history becomes merely decorative when the violence and chaos generated by historical events are glossed over and romanticised in the perceived “fight against evil.” Because collective memory is shaped by such narratives, the artist believes that these stories must be confronted, so that the strategies and wisdom gained from them might inform the present and the future. 

In Long Shadow #3, (2021) the artist uses light as a symbol of power and authority. Such power might be viewed in the context of Indonesia’s colonial and modern history, the turbulent years under Suharto’s dictatorial rule, and its current drive towards economic progress. Emerging from the darkness are mythical creatures representing the various factions that seek to obtain the light, hiding in the shadows just how far they will go to achieve it.