After the independence of Indonesia, president Sukarno ordered most colonial statues to be demolished and streets to be renamed. Looking forward, the past should quickly be forgotten. In the Netherlands colonial memorials were preserved. They became controversial. What does the presence or absence of these monuments mean? How do people remember and commemorate in the absence of memorials or in the presence of controversial statues?

History, Memory, Commemoration is a research project by cultural researcher Mirwan Andan (Makassar/Jakarta), artists Iswanto Hartono (Jakarta) and artist Hans van Houwelingen (Amsterdam). The project will result in eight films, each recorded on specific locations in Indonesia and the Netherlands that relate to a shared colonial history. These films do not particularly focus on historical facts, rather on historiography, on how people’s remembrance is shared, commemorated and passed on to new generations. People (mostly young people) elaborate on their historical view, and the influences they experience within the local cultural context. There is no preconceived idea, narrative, morality or political opinion underlying this project, rather it is meant to contribute to the discourse on colonial history and decolonisation, by showing its diversity, complexity and dynamics. The first film JAVA was recorded in Jakarta, Depok and Tangerang and was released in February 2024. It reflects on the meaning of memorials, in particular on the absence of the former Jan Pieterszoon Coen and Joannes van Heutsz monuments in Jakarta. The second film ACEH was released in September 2024. This film was recorded in Aceh and pictures how history is remembered and commemorated within the specific Aceh culture. It shows the influences of tradition, Islam, politics, education, historiography and fashion on the way history is experienced, shared and passed on to next generation. The works on KALIMANTAN (recorded in Balikpapan, Samarinda and Sepaku) and SULAWESI  (recorded in Makassar, Barru, Pare-Pare, Palopo) are in the editing process, will be released later by the end 2025.