was a critical year in Indonesian history. Politically, it marked the pinnacle of the Reformasi (Indonesian for Reformation). After declaring independence in 1945 from a war-wearied Royal Dutch government, Indonesian withstood fifty years of repressive dictatorship first from Sukarno and later Soeharto (pronounced Su-har-to). In fact, the 1999 elections that followed Soeharto’s resignation were the first in Indonesian history to not offer a determination of the winner before the elections were actually held.
The Reformasi, while not a revolution in name, brought significant changes both politically and socially to Indonesia. The 1999 elections saw over 150 registered political parties campaigning for voter support. While one may argue this is Democracy at its finest, others note the chaotic character such diverse competition bring to politics. Inevitably stagnation clouds over the political process as parties vie for power. This site will explore some of the political fallout from the Reformasi as a means for understanding the context to which the Indonesian graffiti movement was born.
It should be noted that to say graffiti didn’t exist in Indonesia before the Reformasi would be wrong. The Western graffiti movements of the 1970’s and 1980’s didn’t take place in a vacuum. Indonesian artist were exposed to Western art, and did draw from it. However as we shall see, some of Indonesia’s greatest artistic developments occurred during the height of one of its greatest points of stress: The Asian Financial Crisis. This crisis, whose effects are still felt in Indonesia today, was the catalyst for the removal of Soeharto and the explosion of artistic and political expression throughout the country. For decades, poor Indonesians suffered from Soeharto’s corrupt policies. Yet it was through financially beneficial policies towards middle class Indonesians that allowed Soeharto to remain as leader of his New Order Government. Yet the Asian Financial Crisis affected all Indonesian citizens, rich and poor, which inevitably led to an unhappy political base (the middle class). Thus in the summer of 1998 Soeharto resigned.
Since graffiti is a fluid art form, in that street murals always have the potential of being replaced either by rival artists or unhappy government officials, dating most of the pieces shown from the Gallery Section of this site has been challenging. In some cases, the actual artist has corroborated a piece on display, however the date is only of minor importance. This site services best by simply providing a digital venue for which Indonesian street art may be displayed. Whether you support graffiti artists or not, this site hopes to discuss its role during the Reformasi from an un-partisan viewpoint.
Please feel free to contact us at Yogyagraffiti@gmail.com with any comments, questions or suggestions regarding the content of this site.
