Memory,authoritarianism,and the arts after the 1965 killings in Indonesia: Who has “The Right to Look” at history?

Abstract

This article examines the ways that Indonesian visual art and culture created after the 1965–1966 killings engages with collective memory, state power, and the politics of visuality. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with Indonesian artists, this article analyzes how the New Order regime utilized propaganda and visual culture to promote an official memory of the 1965–1966 mass killings, and how contemporary artists have since created counter-visual narratives that challenge this hegemonic memory. Using Nicholas Mirzoeff’s concept of “The Right to Look,” I argue that visuality is an important consideration in struggles over memory after an atrocity or violent conflict. By situating these cases within broader debates in memory studies, this research also highlights how visual culture shapes public understanding after an atrocity and opens space for dialogue and historical accountability.