12 Sep –
21 Sep 2025
Exhibition: Lawan!
Hosted by Framer Framed from 12 to 21 September 2025, Lawan! is an exhibition that brings attention to the legacies of post-colonial imperialist expansion in the Indonesian archipelago and West Papua, featuring presentations by Watch65, Kevin van Braak and Udeido Collective. The title – loosely translating to Fight! – is a call to action against injustice in all its forms.
Through visual art and cultural archives, the exhibition emphasises the urgent need to acknowledge and remember the decades of oppression and violence faced by the Indonesian and Papuan people – and to resist the ongoing silencing of these histories in dominant regional narratives. It brings together two distinct projects that respond to separate yet interconnected struggles that emerge from the turmoil of the 1960s.
Hidden Faces of Papua by Udeido Collective and Kevin van Braak documents contemporary Papuan issues rooted in the legacies of colonial and imperialist violence against the people and environment of West Papua. West Papua remained under Dutch administration until 1962, with promises made of an independent state. However, in 1963 it was incorporated into Indonesia under pressure from the US, the Netherlands, and the UN. The control over West Papua opened the possibilities for resource extraction by foreign companies, leading to the strong repression of critical Papuan voices by the Indonesian state. The struggle for self-determination and independence is a central part of contemporary West Papuan life.
Remembering and Solidarity-Making: 60 years after 1965 by Watch65 features new commissioned works and archival material that addresses the struggles of Indonesians exiled after the US-backed genocide of 1965, in which nearly one million Indonesians were murdered under the pretext of eliminating the Communist Party. The purge extended far beyond alleged party members, targeting leftist thinkers, unionists, ethnic Chinese communities and progressive social movements. These atrocities were deeply rooted in Cold War geopolitics – a time of intensifying US influence in Southeast Asia – and were enabled by the lingering effects of Dutch colonial rule. The project also draws connections between these histories and ongoing repression in Indonesia today. Featuring artworks by artists Yayak Yatmaka, Koes Komo, Alit Ambara, and archives from Komitee Indonesia, the exhibition demonstrates the long tradition of international political action and the struggle for truth, justice, and liberation.
Together, these works open up a space to delve into the complexities of the so-called ‘post-colonial’ condition. It challenges us to consider: can we truly speak of the post-colonial if structures of domination remain so deeply embedded?
Opening
Friday 12 September from 18:00 to 21:00h.
With food, music and live performance.
Free entry, pay what you can.
Public Program
During the exhibition several public gatherings will be organized.
On September 17, Cross-border Solidarity: The Case of Komitee Indonesië, will offer a day long program starting with a rough-cut screening of Watch65’s in-progress documentary on Komitee Indonesië. Followed by a panel discussion with three former coordinators of the Komitee Indonesië – Welmoed Koekebakker, Yvette Lawson and Fridus Steijlen (emeritus professor of postcolonial migration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) – who reunite to reflect on their time with the solidarity group and compare notes on its struggles and accomplishments.
On 19 September, Moving Memories: Countering Historical Silences, Narrating Archives of the Indonesian Left offers a one-day symposium, Watch65’s archival website, GerakIngatan (gerakingatan.omeka.net) is launched. As a community archive, GerakIngatan’s primary objective is to counter archival silences. It is dedicated to collecting, curating and activating records of Indonesian leftist movements.
About
Watch65 is a Netherlands-based voluntary association that is committed to the ongoing fight to uphold justice for the victims of gross violations of human rights in Indonesia. Founded in 2018, Watch65 brings together activists, writers, journalists, researchers and political exiles who participated as volunteers in the landmark International People’s Tribunal on Crimes Against Humanity in Indonesia 1965.
Udeido Collective was founded in Yogyakarta in 2018 as a platform for young artists from across Papua to initiate an artistic movement in their homeland. Udeido takes its name from the ude leaf, which is used on the island to treat wounds, and aims to heal and reconstruct the collective memory of the Papuan people.
Kevin van Braak is an artist who works with sculpture, installations, performance and videos. He works around politically and ideologically problematic issues, turning his attention to the visibility and invisibility of the display of power in buildings, people, location, and artefacts and how our historical consciousness functions in relation to the history behind it.
Credits
Lawan! is co-produced by Framer Framed and Watch65.
Remembering and Solidarity-Making: 60 years after 1965 is commissioned by Watch65 and co-produced by Watch65 and Framer Framed.
Remembering and Solidarity-Making: 60 years after 1965 is supported by VFonds; Amsterdam Centre for Conflict Studies (ACCS), University of Amsterdam; Internationaal Instituut voor Social Geschiedenis (IISG); and KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies.
Framer Framed is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Amsterdam Fund for the Arts; Municipality of Amsterdam; and VriendenLoterij Fonds.
Collectives / Indonesia / Colonial history / East Asia /
Agenda
Moving Memories: Countering Historical Silences, Narrating Archives of the Indonesian Left
Public launch of Watch65’s archival website to decolonise Indonesian historiography and reclaim the nation’s narration
Against the State's Single History: A Conversation with Indonesian Exiles
Panel with Indonesian exiles in the Netherlands expanding on the interpretations of what happened in 1965/1966
Cross-border Solidarity: The Case of Komitee Indonesië
Documentary screening and panel discussion contemplating the work and legacy of Komitee Indonesië
Opening: Lawan!
Exhibition opening of a pop-up show bringing attention to the colonial legacies in the Indonesian archipelago and West Papua.
Network
Yayak Yatmaka
Watch65
Activist Collective
Udeido Collective
Art and Activist Collective
Ignasius Dicky Takndare
Artist
