‘Legacies in Our Blood’: Two Generations, a Shared Heritage – Art & Culture

The text describes the exhibition “Names in Our Veins,” curated by Jo-Lene Ong at Buro Stedelijk in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. This exhibition features the works of two artists from the Chinese-Indonesian diaspora: FX Harsono and Vincent Ruijters.

Key Highlights:

1. Artists:

   • FX Harsono: An influential Indonesian artist born in 1949, whose work addresses issues like discrimination and state politics through a personal lens.
   • Vincent Ruijters: A contemporary multimedia artist born in 1988 in The Hague, he approaches themes of ancestral memory from a double-diaspora perspective.

2. Themes:

   • The exhibition explores honest clarity regarding identity and humanity within the Chinese-Indonesian experience.
   • Harsono’s work reflects on erased identities and historical violence, while Ruijters examines memory and displacement.

3. Featured Works:

   • Harsono’s pieces include:
     • “Writing in the Rain” (2011): A metaphor for the erasure of Chinese culture in Indonesia.
     • “Writing in the Dark Rain” (2025): Represents resilience as Harsono unveils his name by wiping away paint on glass.
     • “Rewriting on the Tomb” and “Pilgrimage to History”.

Overall, the exhibition aims to confront complex histories and identities, focusing on the personal and collective narratives of the Chinese-Indonesian community.