Grinsing Father

In Grinsing Father, 2014, Nadia Bamadhaj depicts a Javanese father of Chinese descent wearing a batik of grinsing motif traditionally worn by those going into battle. His proud and defiant stance is symbolic of the stoicism and fortitude of the Javanese Chinese community in the face of great strife. The work was a response to the burning of two Chinese temples in 2014 -- the 230-year old Hoo Tong Bio temple in Bunyuwangi and the 150-year old Liong Hok Bio Temple in Magelang -- during one of the most controversial and divisive presidential campaigns in Indonesia's history. Although of a different faith, the artist valued these temples as historic sites and centers of community and inclusivity and was completely crushed when all that was left of them were ashes. 

The figure's defiant gaze is also a challenge to confront and address the long history of violence against ethnic Chinese communities in Indonesia. The white-washing of these burnings as accidents started by fallen altar candles reveals just how deeply rooted the old political order remains in Indonesia, where campaign slogans of plurality and concern for human rights seem only to be empty promises.