Lot 233: FX HARSONO

FX HARSONO B. 1949 MEMORY OF THE ERASED NAME NO. 7 SIGNED, TITLED MEMORY OF THE ERASED NAME NO. 7 AND DATED 2010 LOWER MIDDLE OF EACH PANEL; SIGNED, TITLED MEMORY OF THE ERASED NAME NO. 7 AND DATED 2010 ON THE REVERSE OF EACH PANEL ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, IN 2 PARTS each: 110 by 135 cm.; 43 1/4 by 53 in. (2) overall: 110 by 170 cm.; 43 1/4 by 105 in.

"Reopening the memory about my erased Chinese name began as merely a wish to reminisce. The process of remembering without pretense ends with a circular question: what is the consequence of this changed name? Suddenly I feel as if I have been healed from fear. The burden of bearing a sense of shame and the fear to admit and affirm that I am an ethnically Chinese Indonesian who is not "indigenous" has disappeared. Remembering my Chinese name made me realize that Indonesianizing Chinese names has created a socio-political construct whereby the Chinese is not considered an original ethnicity and that is not good. This means anything not indigenous is a minority, bad, not nationalistic, along with the entire negative stigma that relates to the ethnically Chinese. Therefore a change of name is merely a false door to free the Chinese from the negative stigma. In fact, honestly admitting that we are ethnically Chinese Indonesians is proof of Indonesia's richness as a multi-cultural nation. Without fear we can show our nationalism through concrete actions. It is also a healing process for me as an ethnically Chinese Indonesian to be a complete being without any emotional burden."
FX HARSONO, THE ARTIST'S STATEMENT, 2011 (TRANSLATED)